“This statement conveys the official position of IPOB under the leadership of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We reject every attempt to weaponise ethnic identity, religious differences, or regional divisions against ordinary people whose common aspirations include dignity, freedom, justice, and the right to determine their own political future,” the statement said.
According to IPOB, for years, “the enemies of freedom and agents of the oppressive Nigerian state” have sought to mischaracterize the “noble struggle” led by Nnamdi Kanu. “They have fraudulently portrayed our leader as hostile to Northern ethnic nationalities to divide oppressed peoples and protect a corrupt, expired system. But truth is light, and no amount of state-sponsored propaganda can extinguish it,” it added.
IPOB noted that throughout Kanu’s years of Radio Biafra broadcasts, he consistently spoke of his desire to see the re-emergence of an emancipated, politically conscious, and self-assured Hausa nation – “one that can reclaim its historical dignity and draw inspiration from the great Habe monarchies of old”.
“His message has never needed to be reduced to hostility between ethnic nationalities. Rather, it recognises the historical stature of the Hausa people and their capacity to recover their political agency, cultural confidence, and rightful place among the peoples of Africa. The freedom of Biafrans and the emancipation of the Hausa nation are not mutually exclusive aspirations. No people should have to remain subordinate for another people to be free,” IPOB added.
Welcoming the solidarity, the pro-Biafra group declared, “Today, our Hausa brothers in the North-West have demonstrated political awareness and independent judgment regarding the realities of the unworkable colonial contraption called Nigeria. They have clearly identified the true enemy: not the Igbo people, but the corrupt, oppressive political structure that has impoverished and subjugated every ordinary citizen regardless of regional or ethnic identity.
“As Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has consistently maintained across his broadcasts over the years, the demand for a referendum and self-determination is not an act of hatred against any group. It is an act of universal liberation. Freedom is the most precious gift Almighty God gave to humanity, and no human being or artificial colonial arrangement should deny any people that right.
“We state unequivocally: The Hausa people are our brothers: IPOB embraces the Hausa nation and all oppressed groups in the North with love, mutual respect, and solidarity. We recognize that the average Hausa youth seeks peace, dignity, equal rights, and an end to systemic injustice, just as we do.
“Size is immaterial, every ethnic nationality matters: The right to self-determination belongs to all indigenous ethnic nationalities trapped within this monolithic structure, regardless of population size. Whether large or small — be it the Hausa, Kanuri, Tiv, Berom, Nupe, Igala, Jukun, Angas, Bachama, Idoma, Birom, Zuru, Ebira, Gbagyi, Tangale, or Borgu – no group should ever be treated as a minority or made a slave on their ancestral land. Population density does not dictate human dignity. Ethno-linguistic indigeneity and the freely expressed will of the people must be the sole yardstick for governance in Africa. Every single ethnic nationality matters and deserves to have its voice heard on how they wish to live and govern themselves.
“Referendum is the democratic path forward: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s stance remains firm and uncompromising: a peaceful, internationally supervised referendum is the primary democratic mechanism for allowing peoples to freely choose their political futures or determine how any new political arrangement should come into existence.
“Within this framework, smaller ethnic nationalities retain full agency to negotiate voluntary alliances, federate, or structure regional governance systems that protect their interests—drawing upon the progressive principles of restructuring and regional autonomy championed during President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2014 National Conference (CONFAB).
“As former President Olusegun Obasanjo rightly advocated a short while back, the imported, unworkable European models of governance have utterly failed our continent. The British colonial masters carved up our lands for their own imperial interests, leaving behind a dysfunctional framework. It is now up to Africans to break free from these chains and structure societies that are unique to our circumstance.
“Now that the youth of the North-West have boldly woken up to the truth and stood for justice, we hope and pray that all other ethnic nationalities across the country will also shake off the scales of deception. IPOB remains steadfast alongside all oppressed peoples in the pursuit of genuine liberation, peace, and mutual respect for all indigenous ethnic nationalities.”
