The Biafra Referendum, otherwise known as the Biafra self-referendum, was a

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

poll organized and conducted by the Biafra Republic

Government in Exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovereign state or semi-sovereign state, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usu ...

to determine the declaration of the restoration of

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

, a partially recognised state in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

that declared independence from

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and existed from 1967 until 1970. Following the conclusion of the referendum on 28 November 2024, the restoration of Biafra was declared on 29 November 2024, with its capital in Ebube.

Background

Biafra was a nation that declared independence from Nigeria in 1967 under the leadership of the then

Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Malta *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia *Eastern Region, Ugand ...

's military governor,

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (4 November 193326 November 2011) was a Nigerian military officer and political figure who served as President of Biafra from 1967 to 1970. As the military governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria, which he declar ...

. Shortly after the declaration of independence, the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

ensued as the

Nigerian government The federal government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, whose powers are vested and bestowed upon by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One of the primary f ...

sought to reclaim the territory of Biafra, culminating in victory for Nigerian forces in 1970. In May 2023, separatist

Simon Ekpa Ekpa Simon Njoku (born 21 March 1985), generally known as Simon Ekpa, is a Finnish politician and Biafran political activist. In 2022, while in Finland, he declared the activation of the Biafra Government In Exile (BGIE), and in 2023 declared ...

wrote to Finland's former presidents

Sauli Niinistö Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (, born 24 August 1948) is a Finnish politician who served as the 12th president of Finland from 2012 to 2024. A lawyer by education, Niinistö was Chairman of the National Coalition Party (NCP) from 1994 to 2001, Mini ...

and

Tarja Halonen Tarja Kaarina Halonen (, born 24 December 1943) is a Finns, Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland, and the first and to date only woman to hold the position, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer wit ...

, urging them to support a referendum for Biafra's independence from Nigeria. He submitted over 200 documents highlighting Nigeria's political issues and reminded them of an ongoing ECOWAS Court case initiated by various ethnic groups, including the Coalition of Northern Groups, advocating for a peaceful Biafra exit through a referendum. In late October 2023, Biafrans hosted by Ekpa and his organization, the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) convened in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

to discuss the potential for a possible Biafra referendum to reclaim the lost sovereign nation. On 1 February 2024, a

referendum tagged the "Biafra self-referendum" was initiated. Upon the conclusion of the

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

exercise, the BRGIE was expected to issue a declaration for the restoration of the independent state of Biafra on 2 December 2024, during a convention scheduled from 29 November to 3 December 2024 in

Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...

. The referendum is being conducted both physically and

electronically Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other electrically charged particles. It is a subfield of physics and ...

. As of late August, Ekpa says that over 50 million votes have been cast. According to Ekpa, the referendum is a response to enduring challenges such as

marginalization Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

underdevelopment Underdevelopment, in the context of international development, reflects a broad condition or phenomena defined and critiqued by theorists in fields such as economics, development studies, and postcolonial studies. Used primarily to distinguish s ...

and insecurity in South East and

South South The South-South is one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. It designates both a geographic and political region of the country's eastern coast. It comprises six States of Nigeria, states – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River State, Cross Ri ...

geopolitical zones.

Reactions

On 9 June 2024, the separatist group

Indigenous People of Biafra The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a separatist group in Nigeria that aims to restore the defunct Republic of Biafra, a country which seceded from Nigeria in 1967 prior to the Nigerian Civil War and was subsequently dissolved following i ...

(IPOB) stated that only their leader

Nnamdi Kanu Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu (born 25 September 1967) is a British political activist known for advocating for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria. He is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which he founded in 2012. The main ai ...

could declare a referendum on Biafra. It said that such referendums would be conducted transparently and publicly, adhering to

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and African Charter laws, and that no such was ongoing at the time. In June 2024, the Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS), a group which advises African separatists, stated that the results of the referendum would be binding under

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

. It expressed satisfaction with the "referendum's integrity" and acknowledged its alignment with

international standards An international standard is a technical standard developed by one or more international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide. The most prominent such organization is the International O ...

for self-determination. A representative of the

Centre for Democracy and Development The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. The organization aims to promote the values of democracy, peace and human rights in Africa, particularly in the West African sub-region. ...

stated that the OEAS has no authority on the matter and that a referendum would need recognition from the United Nations or major sovereign states. A writer for the ''American National Security Journal'' Michael Rubin said "Thirty million voted, a greater number than those who cast ballots in Nigeria’s most recent

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

." In response to the planned "declaration of the restoration of the independent state of Biafra" on 2 December 2024, the

, through the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), stated that it is engaging with the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

to extradite Simon Ekpa from Finland. Meanwhile, the BRGIE said it is inviting the Nigerian government to the Biafra convention scheduled for the declaration of independence.

Restoration declaration

On 29 November 2024, Biafrans, under the leadership of Simon Ekpa and deputized by Ngozi Orabueze, declared the restoration of Biafra during a convention attended by hundreds of Biafrans. This came after Ekpa was taken into custody just days before the declaration event, on 21 November 2024, for alleged intent to commit terrorism by the Finnish local police in Lahti, Finland. Ekpa had planned to declare the restoration of Biafra on 2 December. The Nigerian government opposed the move and stated that plans were underway to arrest Ekpa for attempting to declare Biafra again, following Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s declaration in 1967, which led to a brutal war lasting until 1970. Shortly after Ekpa's reported detention by the Finnish local police, the Nigerian government claimed responsibility for collaborating with and petitioning the Finnish authorities regarding Ekpa's activities.

List of the proclaimed states of the United States of Biafra

1. State of Aba 2. State of Adoka 3. State of Afemai-Igodomigodo 4. State of Ahoada 5. State of Akpakip Oro 6. State of Alaudo 7. State of Alanso 8. State of Anioma 9. State of Branem 10. State of Calabar 11. State of Edda 12. State of Ebonyi 13. State of Ebube 14. State of Epie 15. State of Esan-Igodomigodo 16. State of Enugwu 17. State of Ezeani 18. State of Iden-Igodomigodo 19. State of Idung Ibom 20. State of Igbani 21. State of Igala 22. State of Ika 23. State of Ikemba 24. State of Ikom 25. State of Ikwumisia 26. State of Ittai-Annang 27. State of Iwere 28. State of Iwhuruohna 29. State of Odumegwu 30. State of Ogbia 31. State of Ogoja 32. State of Ohabuenyi 33. State of Ohaukwu 34. State of Okigwe 35. State of Omambala 36. State of Orlu 37. State of Owerri 38. State of Qua 39. State of South Atlantic 40. State of Urhobo-Isoko

Timeline

1 February

The BRGIE announced the commencement of the referendum and revealed the structure of the proposed 40 "United States of Biafra."

10 February

Ekpa said that over two million votes were recorded in the self-referendum within the last ten days.

31 May

The BRGIE said that "over 30 million Biafrans have participated in the self-referendum, indicating strong support for secession from Nigeria." Simon Ekpa, the Prime Minister of the BRGIE, stated that this turnout surpassed that of Nigeria's 2023 presidential election.

20 August

The BRGIE unveiled the map of the proposed 40 "United States of Biafra" and set 2 December 2024 as the date for its official presentation and declaration.

28 August

The Nigerian government, through the Defence Headquarters, said it was working with the European Union to extradite Ekpa for his comments on the presentation of the Biafra map and the official declaration of the restoration of Biafra.

29 November

Biafrans convened in Lahti, Finland, and declared the restoration of Biafra's independence, officially known as the United States of Biafra. The declaration, originally scheduled for December 2, 2024, was made earlier due to Ekpa's detention by Finnish police.

References

{{reflist 2024 referendums February 2024 in Nigeria November 2024 in Nigeria Independence referendums Separatism in Nigeria

Referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

Finland–Nigeria relations