The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Friday issued a warning that it would take disciplinary action against members accused of challenging the authority of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, amid an escalating internal leadership dispute within the group.
In a statement released by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the organisation said any member or faction found to be acting against Kanu’s directives or violating the group’s Code of Conduct would face sanctions ranging from suspension to removal from office and outright expulsion.
The warning comes amid rising tensions following the dissolution of the third administration of IPOB’s Directorate of State, which was led by Chika Edoziem, and the subsequent inauguration of a new leadership structure headed by US-based Chris Nwaọgụ.
IPOB stated that Kanu acted within the powers granted to him under the organisation’s Code of Conduct when he dissolved Edoziem’s leadership and constituted a fourth Directorate of State.
The group reiterated that only Kanu has the authority to appoint, suspend, or remove principal officers within the organisation.
“Any individual or group that persists in defying the lawful authority of the Supreme Leader, undermining the command-and-control structure of IPOB, or acting contrary to the Code of Conduct shall face severe disciplinary measures, including suspension, removal from office, and expulsion from the movement,” the statement read.
It further stated, “The era of indiscipline, constitutional recklessness, and unauthorised power-grabbing within IPOB is over.
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The authority of the Supreme Leader remains supreme, unquestionable, and binding on all members.”
The organisation also declared that the third Directorate of State has ceased to exist, adding that any decisions taken by Edoziem or his team after their removal are invalid.
“The 3rd Administration of the Directorate of State no longer exists. Its tenure has been terminated by lawful authority and its powers extinguished.
Consequently, any directive, instruction, statement, appointment, suspension, or administrative action purportedly issued by Chika Edoziem or any member of the dissolved administration after its dissolution is null, void, and incapable of creating any legal or organisational consequence within IPOB,” the group said.
The development underscores widening internal cracks within IPOB, a separatist movement advocating for the restoration of an independent Biafra state in Nigeria’s South-East.
The group has experienced repeated leadership disputes since the arrest and continued detention of Kanu by Nigerian authorities.
He was first arrested in 2015 on treasonable felony charges, later fled the country while on bail in 2017, was re-arrested in Kenya in June 2021, and subsequently returned to Nigeria.
Despite his ongoing detention and trial, IPOB maintains that Kanu remains its supreme leader with ultimate authority over the movement.
The latest disagreement over the Directorate of State leadership marks one of the most significant internal crises the organisation has faced in recent years, as rival factions continue to contest legitimacy and control within the group.