IPOB Spokesman Emma Powerful Confirms February 2 Sit-at-Home Across South-East

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has confirmed that its February 2, 2026 sit-at-home directive across the South-East will proceed as planned, in solidarity with traders of Onitsha Main Market. The announcement came from IPOB spokesman Comrade Emma Powerful in a statement released on Sunday.

Onitsha Main Market was closed for a week by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, after traders defied his ban on the observance of Monday sit-at-home orders. The market is scheduled to reopen on February 2, with Soludo warning that any continued defiance could result in a month-long closure.

IPOB, which opposed the state government’s closure of the market, declared a regional sit-at-home to support the traders. However, the directive faced internal opposition from IPOB lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor and certain members of the group’s Directorate of State, who claimed the organization had abandoned such directives and questioned Powerful’s credibility.

In response, Powerful insisted that the sit-at-home is “sacrosanct” and dismissed claims that he is a pseudonym. He also stated that Ejiofor had been expelled and no longer represents IPOB or its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Powerful accused agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Anambra State government of infiltrating IPOB to mislead the public. He specifically alleged that Chinasa Nworu and Chike Edoziem, members of the Directorate of State, were plotting to hijack the group following meetings with Governor Soludo.

“The February 2 sit-at-home is sacrosanct and will hold. Any government or APC agent masquerading as IPOB will be exposed,” Powerful said. He further urged Biafrans to disregard “fake and fabricated” statements circulating online and to comply with the sit-at-home order.

Powerful concluded that while some elements of the IPOB Directorate may have been compromised, the larger IPOB membership remains intact. He said he would engage the media through interviews and talk shows leading up to the sit-at-home.