Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Charles Soludo and popular public policy commentator Patrick Utomi led other Igbo leaders to visit the detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on 28 February in his prison cell at Kuje in Abuja. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Soludo called for the IPOB leader’s release stating that, while the IPOB leader is not above the law, he should not be treated unlawfully while the government flouts court orders for his release. He also said that Nigeria is now divided like never before and condemned the persistent killing of IPOB members in the South East geopolitical zone.

Nnamdi Kanu has become a cult hero among the ordinary people in the South East geopolitical zone. His detention has raised, rather than diminished, his popularity. The brutal tactics adopted by the military and the police in suppressing IPOB protests has made the group and its leader increasingly popular. IPOB is gradually being seen as the only organisation standing against the state’s oppression of the people of the South East. The ruling All Progressives Congress remains highly unpopular among the ordinary South East voter and is increasingly seen as an oppressive force. As the 2019 election approaches, politicians identifying with the IPOB cause are likely to benefit from such association.

In furtherance of its quest for the independent state of Biafra, on 4 March IPOB released a draft constitution for the proposed state of Biafra. It proposes a country in which each of the minority tribes in the South East and South South geopolitical zones vote via a referendum on whether or not they would like to be part of the Biafra. It proposes a fiscal federation where constituent units shall be in control of the natural resources within their domain. The proposed Biafran constitution has been drawn to address the fears of minorities in the South South who are afraid that the Igbos will just dominate other minority tribes if they opt to join the proposed Biafran state.

Importantly, the Biafran constitution has been drawn to address the weaknesses of the current Nigerian Federation and aims to make it an attractive alternative for the Niger Delta. In reality, other minorities in the Niger Delta will still most likely prefer being part of a bigger Nigeria than Biafra.