Kanu’s Handwritten 2016 Letter, DOS Power of Attorney Resurfaces as Ejiofor Defends Legitimacy Against Falsehood

Kanu’s Handwritten 2016 Letter, DOS Power of Attorney Resurfaces as Ejiofor Defends Legitimacy Against Falsehood A recent development involv...

Kanu’s Handwritten 2016 Letter, DOS Power of Attorney Resurfaces as Ejiofor Defends Legitimacy Against Falsehood

A recent development involving the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB features a detailed rebuttal from Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the group's long-standing lead counsel and General Counsel, addressing what he describes as persistent misinformation circulated under the pseudonym "Emma Powerful."

In a detailed statement titled "WEEKEND MUSINGS: THE CURIOUS CASE OF SELF-PROFESSED 'WHITER THAN WHITE' A MODEST AUTOPSY OF MANUFACTURED VIRTUE (Series one)", dated February 14, 2026, Ejiofor invokes the Igbo proverb "Alụ gbaa arọ, ọ bụrụ omenana" (roughly: when an abomination lingers unchecked, it becomes custom) to justify his intervention. He argues that prolonged falsehoods risk being normalized as truth, particularly amid recent claims made via "Emma Powerful" purporting to represent or relay instructions from IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Ejiofor provides documented evidence to affirm his legitimacy:

In December 2015, while Kanu was detained at Kuje Correctional Centre, Kanu personally appointed him to handle his trial. This was formally communicated via a handwritten letter dated January 25, 2016, addressed to the presiding judge, Hon. Justice John Tsoho (now Chief Judge of the Federal High Court). The letter explicitly states that Kanu's instructed lawyers are Chief Chuks Muoma (SAN) and Ifeanyi Ejiofor, rejecting any other representation without his approval.

Following Kanu's bail in 2017, Ejiofor was appointed General Counsel to IPOB worldwide through a formal Power of Attorney dated May 2, 2017. Signed by Nnamdi Kanu (Leader), Uche Mefor (then Deputy Leader), and Chika Edoziem (Head of Directorate), the document authorizes Ejiofor (of I.C. Ejiofor & Co., Abuja) to defend, initiate, and protect all IPOB legal interests, including representation in Nigerian matters.

Ejiofor firmly denies claims that he appointed members of the Directorate of State (DOS) during Kanu's incarceration, calling such assertions "spectacularly preposterous" and "fiction." He stresses that Kanu, as an individual, lacked authority to unilaterally appoint counsel for IPOB as an organization, and no DOS appointments occurred through him while Kanu was in custody.

The statement appears to respond to recent publications under "Emma Powerful" a pseudonym IPOB's DOS officially discontinued in late January 2026 due to compromise, misuse, and security risks. Official IPOB communications now require the organization's letterheaded paper, with any post-discontinuation use of "Emma Powerful" deemed unauthorized and non-representative of leadership.

Ejiofor portrays critics as self-proclaimed paragons of virtue ("whiter than white") who launder falsehoods, urging a return to verifiable facts over propaganda. He concludes: "Facts, unlike rumours, require no amplification. They simply endure."

This intervention highlights deepening crises created by Nnamdi Kanu siblings within IPOB, including disputes over leadership authority, the validity of directives (e.g., sit-at-home orders), and representation amid Kanu's continued detention. Ejiofor's release, accompanied by scans of the 2016 letter and 2017 Power of Attorney, aims to reassert his role and counter narratives questioning his standing or alleging DOS appointments via him.

With supporters sharing the documents as proof of continuity, while detractors question ongoing relevance or alignments within the movement. As IPOB navigates these tensions, the episode underscores challenges in maintaining unified messaging and authority from prison.

Family Writers Press International.