The Labour Party's (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi has stated that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) does not share his political views.
Obi is "playing the dirty Nigerian politics," according to the outlawed secessionist group, and they have nothing in common.
The group made this statement in response to Saleh Alhassan, national secretary of Miyetti Allah, who claimed that Nnamdi Kanu and the IPOB promoters had transferred their allegiance to Obi.
In a statement posted on Monday, Emma Powerful, an IPOB spokesman, claimed that if the LP presidential candidate supported the IPOB movement, he would not be running for office in Nigeria.
“Peter Obi is involved in and playing the dirty Nigerian politics while we in IPOB play advanced internationally accepted politics targeting Biafra Referendum,” the statement reads.
“If Peter Obi believes in what we are pursuing he wouldn’t have come out in the first place to contest for Nigeria’s President. Nobody should drag or link IPOB with Peter Obi’s politics.”
The group said it does not share any ideological traits with the Obi campaign.
“IPOB has said it several times that we don’t know Peter Obi, we have nothing in common with Peter Obi and we do not agree with his political opinions. IPOB is a freedom-fighting movement and has nothing whatsoever to do with or in Nigerian politics,” the statement reads.
“IPOB is not interested in Igbo President or a Nigeria President from Biafra extraction. Our mission is simple.”