The Nigerian Government has refuted claims that the United Kingdom endorsed a petition submitted by Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho. The petition, which calls for the creation of a Yoruba nation, was reportedly submitted at 10 Downing Street, London, last week.
In a statement released on Tuesday, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eche Abu-Obe, described media reports surrounding the petition as “highly misleading.” He clarified that the UK government had no official involvement or endorsement regarding the document.
According to Abu-Obe, the British High Commissioner in Abuja was invited for clarification on the matter. During this meeting, the High Commissioner expressed concern that the situation had been exaggerated, emphasizing that the media reports were misrepresentative.
He confirmed that the petition’s delivery was part of the standard procedure for receiving letters and petitions at 10 Downing Street, and highlighted that the petition had no backing from any UK government agency or the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee.
“The UK government typically does not concern itself with petitions regarding the sovereign affairs of another country,” Abu-Obe quoted the High Commissioner as saying. He also noted that similar petitions had previously been rejected by the UK government.
The British High Commissioner reaffirmed the importance of the strong bilateral relationship between the UK and Nigeria, assuring the Nigerian government of continued collaboration on matters of mutual interest.
In a post by his spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, Sunday Igboho confirmed that the petition was submitted to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Koiki stated, “At exactly 14:00 hrs, Chief Sunday Igboho delivered a petition to the UK Prime Minister on behalf of Adebanji Akintoye, leader of the Yoruba Nation movement, and Olayomi Koiki, his spokesman at 10DowningStreet.”
