₦airaland Forum

The imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has rejected political negotiations that do not lead to a referendum on Biafran independence, insisting that he will not compromise on his demand for the sovereignty of the proposed Biafran state.

He maintained that the people of the region should be allowed to determine their political future through a referendum.

“Referendum, or the unilateral pursuit of Biafran sovereignty. There is no middle ground,” he declared.

Kanu said he was unwilling to negotiate what he described as the existence of his people, insisting that his only acceptable subject of discussion was the right of Biafrans to decide whether they wanted to live under an independent state.

“I will not negotiate the existence of my people. I will not bargain our homeland into a committee. I will discuss referendum and nothing else,” he said.

He added that those interested in discussions about political appointments, restructuring or conferences could pursue such conversations without him

“Those who want a conversation about appointments, about ‘restructuring,’ about another conference that ends in a communiqué and a banquet, may hold that conversation without me,” Kanu stated.

“My subject is one subject: the right of Biafrans to say, in a free vote, whether they will live as a people under their own roof.”

The IPOB leader said he had spent years in detention pursuing what he described as the goal of establishing a peaceful Biafran homeland.

“I have spent eight years of my life in detention in pursuit of the only goal that matters to me, and indeed to all of us: a peaceful homeland called Biafra,” he said.

He added that his objective was not revenge or disorder but the establishment of a country governed by its own laws.

“Not a slogan. A country. Not revenge. Safety. Not chaos. Order under our own law,” he stated.

Kanu also recounted previous encounters with Nigerian authorities, saying he was first arrested in 2005 at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and arrested again in Lagos in 2015.

He subsequently accused the Nigerian government of kidnapping him in Kenya and describing the operation as an arrest.

“Then they kidnapped me in Kenya and called the crime an arrest,” he said.

Kanu has repeatedly challenged the circumstances surrounding his rendition from Kenya to Nigeria, which has remained a contentious issue in his legal proceedings.

In the latest address, he also criticised the judicial process that resulted in his conviction, alleging that it was based on repealed statutes and the reversal of an earlier acquittal.

He described the outcome as “power pretending to be a court” and insisted that his imprisonment had not weakened his determination to pursue Biafran independence.

“The file is open. I am fixated on one goal: total freedom for Biafra,” he said.

"No negotiations that trade the destination for a seat at someone else's table. Referendum. That is the conversation. That is the settlement. That is the peace.”

The detained IPOB leader also appealed to AVID and other diaspora organisations to sustain their campaign for his release and that of other people he described as Biafrans detained unjustly.

He praised AVID for supporting him during his detention and commended the organisation's president, Dr Sylvester Onyia, for attending court proceedings and making efforts to secure his release.

Kanu said the organisation had also written to British officials, including the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria, over his case.

He urged the veterans to continue their advocacy, saying their support remained important to his campaign.

Addressing the convention under the theme Maka Odi Nma Ndi Igbo, meaning “For the Good and Benefit of the Igbo People”, Kanu invoked the history of Igbo Landing in Georgia, where enslaved Igbo people resisted their enslavement in 1803.

He urged the attendees to draw inspiration from the history of resistance and apply the principle of self-determination to the Igbo homeland.

“Veterans: you swore an oath to a republic that claims self-determination as a founding creed. Do not be timid about applying that creed to the land that made you,” he said.

Kanu concluded his address by reiterating that he would not accept any political arrangement that excluded the question of Biafran independence.

"I am not available for any bargain that leaves Biafra unnamed,” he declared.

“I am available for a referendum. I am available for the work of a free people."

https://saharareporters.com/2026/10/12/nnamdi-kanu-rejects-political-compromise-says-he-will-not-negotiate-biafras-independence

Very good stance!

Nelson Mandela said same in the early years of his jail term.

After 27 years, same Nelson Mandela said,

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.”

Nnamdi Kanu remains the most powerful voice of freedom in Nigeria.... There is a reason why he is called "Onyendu" let no one be deceived over the media propaganda against the cause to liberate his people from the British bondage called Nigeria..... Nnamdi Kanu will regain his freedom and all those who cheered his unjust incaseration will be disgraced.... They will all bury their heads in shame.

A referendum that will restore freedom to not just the igbos but other regions and indigenous people within the contraption is inevitable.....

Your comparison is preposterous.... Nnamdi Kanu is not Nelson Mandela, he is not a coward.... He has said it severally that there is nothing anyone can do to stop Biafra when the time comes as it is not his call to make. The only reason why Nnamdi Kanu is still prison today is simply because Nigeria is a lawless country....

HacheNoire:
Very good stance!

Nelson Mandela said same in the early years of his jail term.

After 27 years, same Nelson Mandela said,

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.”

truthera:
Your comparison is preposterous.... Nnamdi Kanu is not Nelson Mandela, he is not a coward.... He has said it severally that there is nothing anyone can do to stop Biafra when the time comes as it is not his call to make. The only reason why Nnamdi Kanu is still prison today is simply because Nigeria is a lawless country....

Why I said it’s a good stance.

I just will only acknowledge that statement after two and a half decades.

You will be disappointed because it is glaring that he will regain his freedom sooner than you think....

HacheNoire:
Why I said it’s a good stance.

I just will only acknowledge that statement after two and a half decades.

truthera:
You will be disappointed because it is glaring that he will regain his freedom sooner than you think....

But he will fold before the freedom comes?

I have spent eight years of my life in detention in pursuit of the only goal that matters to me, and indeed to all of us: a peaceful homeland called Biafra.....

You think Nnamdi Kanu is alone? Once again I will reiterate that you will be disappointed.....

HacheNoire:
But he will fold before the freedom comes?

truthera:
You think Nnamdi Kanu is alone? Once again I will reiterate that you will be disappointed.....

Okay.

Very good. I like strong head like this our Albino bros In Sokoto hotel.The same people he's fighting for are busy with their daily hustle.Some are in joborg,Thailand,Malaysia, etc solitary iron box hotel.He should stay there till Obi becomes President in 2038

Nnamdi Kanu does not need validation from his people or any one to do what he believes is right… There are many Igbos who appreciate Kanu and are ready to sacrifice for the cause of freedom if he asks them…. I wonder how humiliating it will be for you when Nnamdi Kanu regain his freedom sooner than you expect….

ipobarecriminals:
Very good. I like strong head like this our Albino bros In Sokoto hotel.The same people he's fighting for are busy with their daily hustle.Some are in joborg,Thailand,Malaysia, etc solitary iron box hotel.He should stay there till Obi becomes President in 2038

I still don't understand why he doesn't forms party, or do attache to one like Peter Obí does, and put a pro referendum agenda forward for the elected officials.

Surely, his party will win all elections in a landslide (or would they) and the referendum can be proposed and backed in and by the legislature in Abuja respectively as a first step to Biafran actualisation.

What is the problem with that approach?

HacheNoire:
Very good stance!

Nelson Mandela said same in the early years of his jail term.

After 27 years, same Nelson Mandela said,

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.”

Did Mandela achieve his goals or not?

The reason why Kanu does not want to take this route is simply because he doesn't want to control anyone or become a political godfather.... Also, he knows Nigeria political system is part of the problem as long as Biafra agitation is concerned.... Here is a link to his opinion on this subject below....

https://www.nairaland.com/5022368/nnamdi-kanu-why-not-support

aswani:
I still don't understand why he doesn't forms party, or do attache to one like Peter Obí does, and put a pro referendum agenda forward for the elected officials.

Surely, his party will win all elections in a landslide (or would they) and the referendum can be proposed and backed in and by the legislature in Abuja respectively as a first step to Biafran actualisation.

What is the problem with that approach?

truthera:
The reason why Kanu does not want to take this route is simply because he doesn't want to control anyone or become a political godfather.... Also, he knows Nigeria political system is part of problem as long as Biafra agitation is concerned.... Here is a link to his opinion on this subject below....

https://www.nairaland.com/5022368/nnamdi-kanu-why-not-support

So you are telling me Nnamdi Kanu will achieve his aim of Biafra and he will sit back and let people like Peter Obí take the reigns àbi.

You don't think he would take full political control, and like a dictator, unleash his thugs on anyone that wants to challenge him.

Very funny.

Nnamdi Kanu’s main objective is not to rule anyone but to give his people a chance to be free through a peaceful referendum…. It is not him that will decide, the Igbo people will decide their future through a referendum. He has said it several times that he will abide by the decision of his people if after a referendum they choose to stay in Nigeria….

aswani:
So you are telling me Nnamdi Kanu will achieve his aim of Biafra and he will sit back and let people like Peter Obí take the reigns àbi.

You don't think he would take full political control, and like a dictator, unleash his thugs on anyone that wants to challenge him.

Very funny.