Mazi Chika Edoziem Calls for “Reclaiming Sovereignty,” Accuses Igbo Politicians of Betrayal
Bremen, Germany – The Indigenous People of Biafra has issued a strongly worded press release accusing several Igbo political figures of failing to defend the interests of their people and vowing a political “clean up” across the region.
In a February 13, 2026 statement from the Directorate of State, signed by Mazi Chukwukadibia Edoziem, Head of the Directorate of State of Indigenous People of Biafra, the group declared that it would no longer tolerate the degradation of Igbo political and cultural interests within Nigeria.
Edoziem accused members of the Igbo political class of abandoning their responsibilities and prioritising personal gain over regional development.
He stated that elected representatives had repeatedly failed to use their mandates to initiate projects that benefit their constituencies, instead remaining silent on the systemic political and economic marginalisation of the South East.
“The Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra will not tolerate further degradation of our essence and values by these politicians who make a caricature of our people every four years by distributing wheelbarrows and cups of rice to spite our collective sensibilities.” the statement read.
Direct Criticism of Named Political Figures
The statement singled out several high profile politicians, including former Abia governor and current senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, accusing them of political opportunism and failing to advance Igbo interests.
IPOB also criticised Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, revealing weak leadership and external political influence.
The statement also warned responsible Igbos not to ruin their reputation by getting involved in their fight against the corrupt politicians.
“Now we will hold them to account and any Igbo man who has some integrity and enjoy some respect from our people must not get involved in this battle to reclaim our land from the hands of those working not for the benefit and wellbeing of the Igbo Nation but rather for the interest of the Sokoto Caliphate.”
In contrast, Edoziem praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti, describing him as one of the few contemporary leaders who understands political responsibility and grassroots development in Igboland.
Demand for Peaceful Separation Motion
Edoziem referenced his January 1, 2026 national broadcast to Biafrans, during which he said IPOB called on Igbo representatives in the National Assembly to initiate motions for a peaceful separation of Biafran territory from Nigeria.
“During my national broadcast to the Biafran people on the 1st of January 2026, I specifically called upon our political representatives in the Nigerian national assembly to commence moves for the peaceful separation of the Biafran territory from Nigeria by raising and initiating a motion at the floor of both the Nigerian Senate and the Nigerian House of Representatives, they heard the demand of the people they claim to represent but chose to ignore our demand to their own detriment.”
According to the statement, IPOB believes lawmakers ignored that demand. The group argued that any Igbo politician seeking to represent the region must publicly support the call for a referendum to determine the political future of the Biafran people.
IPOB framed its demand as a democratic pathway toward self determination, insisting that the right to a referendum is central to what it described as reclaiming sovereignty.
PEOPLES CHRONICLES had quoted Mazi Chika Edoziem as stating on his January 1st broadcast to Biafrans as describing Igbo politicians as “men who have neither honour nor integrity, men who conspired against the demand of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for the infrastructural development of Biafraland.
They, all the governors from David Umahi’s time to the present who are from the Igbo Nation of Biafraland are among those that emboldened the Nigerian government to ban a peaceful freedom movement, the IPOB while hobnobbing with known terror groups such as Miyetti Allah, Fulani Herdsmen and Fulani foot soldiers in the Nigerian armed forces.”
Allegations of Economic and Cultural Marginalisation
The press release also confirmed structural economic disadvantages affecting businesses registered in the South East, as well as cultural exclusion in national education policies.
“These Politicians are fully cognisant of the fact that Igbo Entrepreneurs with the exception of a very few brave ones amongst them, are compelled to locate their businesses outside of Igboland, they are mindful of the fact that Igbo businessmen are compelled to make a punitive yearly payment to Northern Nigeria as people defeated in war akin to what African countries under the influence of France are compelled to pay France because they were colonized by France,” he stated.
“This same Nigeria that they want us to remain in just released their education curriculum for primary and secondary school children without the language and history of the Igbo being included as part of what our young minds will be taught at their tender age before the eyes of our so-called politicians, the cultural annihilation of our race has become an official government policy and they still claim to represent our interest?”
While these revelations reflect long standing grievances, the Nigerian federal authorities as the Igbo politicians have failed to address these accusations of among others the targeted economic and cultural suppression.
Renewed Political Tension in the South East
The statement signals a renewed phase of escalation between IPOB and sections of the Igbo political establishment. The group accused politicians of failing to challenge federal policies that, disadvantage the region.
Nigeria has previously designated IPOB a terrorist organisation through an ex parte order that has since been described as unlawful and has been set aside by the court. However, security agencies continue to crackdown on the peaceful organization accusing it of insecurity in the region without evidence.
Despite repeated calls from IPOB for independent international bodies to investigate the insecurity in the South East, the Government has refused such to allow for such external probes.
The recent controversy surrounding allegations linked to the “Tiger Base” police facility in Owerri, has further intensified tensions in the region.
Operatives at the station have been accused of involvement in organ harvesting, allegations that sparked outrage across social media. Authorities have rejected those accusations, despite statements from victims, and no independent international findings have been released to substantiate them.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) maintains that incidents of violence and criminality in the region are being wrongly attributed to the group. IPOB has accused certain political actors of deliberately orchestrating or exploiting insecurity in order to frame the movement and justify crackdowns against its members.
As political activities begin to intensify ahead of future electoral cycles, Edoziem’s statement underscores the widening ideological divide between ordinary Igbos and Igbo politicians operating within Nigeria’s federal structure.
This renewed pressure is expected to translate into tangible political shifts in the near future. For now, the declaration marks another chapter in the ongoing debate over representation, sovereignty, and the future of the South East within the Nigerian federation.
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