The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),has called of the planned boycott of general elections in the South Eastern parts of the country.
In a statement issued on Friday in Awka, by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful said the decision was reached after meeting of the group’s leadership presided over by the “supreme leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu”.
The statement reads in part,“It’s important we notify the world at large and the indefatigable global IPOB family in particular that our supreme leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has called-off the election boycott in Biafraland.
“After a brief emergency session of the Directorate of State late last night presided over by our leader, it was determined that all our terms and conditions had been met by those wishing us to lift the ban on voting, it was unanimously agreed that the boycott should be lifted.
“The signed document agreeing to IPOB terms and conditions are in our possession and will be made public in due course.
“We can, therefore, state with utmost sense of responsibility and pride that IPOB has accomplished what no other people or group has been able to do in the history of our people. Without prejudice, this will go down as the defining moment when the irreversibility of the restoration of Biafra was firmly entrenched in the subconscious of all and sundry. As a result of which we can state categorically that Biafra is a lot closer than we think as a result of this.”
IPOB had earlier ordered its members not to participate in Saturday’s election in the region, a move many observers feared would affect votes from the region believed to be a stronghold of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).