By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Warri
DELTA: The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has firmly rejected the proposed creation of new states in Nigeria, insisting that its priority remains an independent Biafra and not further division within the Southeast.
IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, stated this in a press release on Monday, reacting to reports that the federal government and the National Assembly were considering the creation of 31 new states.
“We are not interested in more states,” he declared. “The problem is not the number of states but the dysfunctional structure of Nigeria. Creating more states will only deepen corruption, disunity, and economic instability.”
The group argued that past state creations were designed to weaken the Southeast politically, referencing the 1967 state restructuring by General Yakubu Gowon as a strategy to divide Biafra during the civil war.
“From Gowon to Murtala Mohammed, Ibrahim Babangida, and Sani Abacha, every state creation exercise has favored the North while marginalizing the East. It has turned vibrant regions into dependent entities, surviving on allocations from Abuja,” IPOB said.
The group reiterated its call for a referendum, asserting that the Igbo people and other ethnic groups seeking self-determination should be allowed to decide their future democratically.
“What we want is not more divisions but the reunification of our people across Kogi, Benue, and Edo into Alaigbo.
The Nigerian government can create as many states as they wish within their territory, but Biafrans must be allowed to decide their own fate.”
IPOB urged the federal government to set a date for a referendum, maintaining that the only path to lasting peace is through self-determination, not forced unity.