The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has rejected negotiations that do not include a referendum on Biafran self-determination, insisting that the people must be allowed to decide their political future through a free vote.
Kanu stated this in an address to the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) at its annual convention held in Duluth, Georgia, United States, from October 9 to 11.
In the address obtained by THE WHISTLER on Monday, Kanu said he would not negotiate the existence of the Igbo people or support discussions that exclude a referendum on Biafran sovereignty.
“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 discussions centred on restructuring or political conferences without a referendum would not address his demand.
“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,” Kanu said.
The IPOB leader maintained that his objective remained the pursuit of Biafran sovereignty, describing a referendum as the only acceptable basis for a settlement.
“I am not available for any bargain that leaves Biafra unnamed. I am available for a referendum. I am available for the work of a free people,” he said.
Kanu also called for the release of Biafrans he described as unjustly detained, urging AVID and other organisations supporting his cause to sustain their efforts.
“I expect you to continue that unflinching support for my release and for the release of every Biafran locked up unjustly. Do not grow weary. The work is not finished,” he told the veterans.
Kanu acknowledged AVID’s engagement with British officials over his case, including correspondence with the British Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria.
The IPOB leader further urged members of the organisation to continue advocating for self-determination through what he described as lawful and honourable means.
Addressing the convention’s theme, Maka Odi Nma Ndi Igbo (For the Good and Benefit of the Igbo People), Kanu urged the veterans to support efforts aimed at securing a referendum.
“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, who has maintained that his imprisonment would not change his position on Biafran self-determination, was convicted in 2025 of treason.
