BREAKING: ‘No Middle Ground’: Nnamdi Kanu Insists on Biafra Referendum, Rejects Political Settlement
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has declared that he will not accept any political settlement that excludes a referendum on Biafra’s independence.
Kanu stated this in a message delivered to the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) at its 2026 annual convention in Duluth, Georgia, United States, which took place from October 9 to 11.
Addressing the organisation under the theme “Maka Odi Nma Ndi Igbo,” translated as “For the Good and Benefit of the Igbo People,” the detained separatist leader said the right of the Biafran people to determine their political future remained his principal demand.
He insisted that discussions about political appointments, restructuring or another national conference would not resolve the issue unless the people were allowed to vote on whether they wanted independence.
“Referendum, or the unilateral pursuit of Biafran sovereignty. There is no middle ground,” Kanu said.
He added that he would not negotiate away what he described as the existence and future of his people.
“I will not negotiate the existence of my people. I will not bargain our homeland into a committee. I will discuss the referendum and nothing else,” he stated.
Kanu, who is serving a life sentence in Sokoto, also called on supporters of the Biafran cause to maintain pressure for his release and that of other detained members of the movement.
He praised AVID for its sustained advocacy, particularly acknowledging its president, Dr Sylvester Onyia, for repeatedly travelling to Abuja to attend court proceedings during his detention.
Kanu said Onyia had also visited him in hospital and continued to speak out on his behalf when public attention surrounding his case appeared to be fading.
He urged the organisation not to abandon its campaign.
“The work is not finished,” he said, calling for continued efforts to secure the release of those he described as unjustly detained.
The IPOB leader also recognised Rising Sun and Ambassadors for Self-Determination for their contributions to his welfare and the broader campaign for Biafran self-determination.
Turning to the internal affairs of IPOB, Kanu alleged that the Nigerian government had infiltrated the organisation’s Third Administration of the Directorate of State, which he said had subsequently been dissolved.
He claimed that some individuals accused of betraying the movement had been expelled, while commending AVID for remaining loyal to his leadership during the internal crisis.
Kanu further praised the organisation for petitioning British authorities, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, over his detention and legal circumstances.
The IPOB leader, who holds British citizenship, repeated his allegation that he was abducted in Kenya and unlawfully transferred to Nigeria.
He also questioned the legality of his conviction, claiming that it relied on repealed laws and disregarded an earlier acquittal.
Kanu recalled being arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos in 2005 and again in Lagos in 2015 before his subsequent transfer from Kenya to Nigeria.
He maintained that his prolonged detention and solitary confinement had not diminished his commitment to Biafran independence.
According to him, the objective of the movement was to establish a peaceful homeland where the people could govern themselves under their own laws.
“Not a slogan. A country. Not revenge. Safety. Not chaos. Order under our own law,” he declared.
Kanu also called on members of AVID to draw inspiration from Igbo Landing in Georgia, a historic site associated with an 1803 incident in which enslaved Igbo captives resisted their enslavement.
He described the site as a symbol of resistance, freedom and the determination of the Igbo people to preserve their dignity.
Urging the veterans to apply the principle of self-determination to the aspirations of the Biafran people, Kanu called on AVID and other pro-Biafra groups to sustain their international advocacy.
He concluded by reiterating that he would not accept any agreement that failed to provide for a referendum on Biafran sovereignty.
