IPOB disowns elders' forum, says they are seeking impostors

The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra ( IPOB), has vehemently disowned a group which parades itself as the Elders' Forum of IPOB, describing members of the group as popularity- seeking impostors.

Recall that the said Elders' Forum had recently disassociated IPOB from the Niger Delta Avengers, saying that the militants have no alliance with IPOB.

But in a swift reaction, IPOB in a press statement issued yesterday by its Media and Publicity Officer, Emma Powerful, said that the alleged Elders' Forum is nonexistent  and lacked the mandate to speak for the pro- Biafra movement.

The statement read in part: " In IPOB worldwide under the leadership of mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Deputy Leader, Mazi Uche Mefo, have no elders forum and any individual or group who claimed to be the factional leader or deputy leader IPOB is fake.

"IPOB worldwide under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu condemns those individuals and groups who are making statement in the pages of national news papers that IPOB has factions.

" We want to inform the general public that Nnamdi Kanu is our leader and his deputy is    Alphonsus Uche Mefo . We have no other faction, anybody who is parading himself and claiming to be the leader or the deputy leader of IPOB is fake.

"It is too bad that some individuals and groups will organise themselves to come in order to eat where they did not plant. "

The statement explained that IPOB's leader, Kanu, had long disbanded the group's Elders' Forum to maintain order in the leadership structure of the movement and avoid unnecessary conflicting positions.

"The leader of IPOB  Mazi Nnamdi Kanu dissolved the elders forum because IPOB is not a political party. You cannot be talking from both end of your mouth at the same time - talking about the restoration of Biafra. IPOB  is only pursuing for the restoration of Biafra and nothing more.

"Our leader dissolved them because they are sabotaging every efforts we are doing for the restoration of Gods Kingdom on earth.

Meanwhile, they are members of Biafra liberation in exile (BILIE) not IPOB. Why are they still trying to be part of IPOP?

"When we restore Biafra we will resign our positions now and allow those who are politicians to come and do their own parts.

IPOB restated its resolve to remain nonviolent in its struggles for independence.

" We maintain our nonviolent approach towards the restoration of Biafra and nobody can force us to become violent. The security agents killed many of our members but we never attacked any security officer. How have we become violent?"