By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in clarifying what it described as unnecessary controversy generated by the lawful dissolution of the 3rd Administration of the Directorate of State (DOS) by its Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, said that IPOB Code of Conduct remains the template for the movement.

It insisted that Kanu has the powers as its leader to dissolve, appoint or re-appoint its administrators.

This was contained in a statement made available to journalists in Awka by the group's media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful on Saturday.

The statement reads in part: "Let it be clearly understood by all IPOB family members worldwide that the IPOB Code of Conduct is the supreme governing instrument of our movement.

"It is our Constitution. It defines our structure, regulates our conduct, establishes our hierarchy, and binds every member without exception.

"No officer, department, coordinator, representative, or administration exists above the Code of Conduct.

"The Directorate of State was not the institution that created IPOB. The Directorate of State was created by Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as an administrative organ of IPOB to assist in the day-to-day management of the movement and to ensure continuity of operations across the world.

"The DOS therefore derives its existence, authority, and legitimacy from the constitutional authority of the Supreme Leader and the IPOB Code of Conduct. It is not a sovereign body. It is not a co-equal authority. It is not a self-perpetuating institution."

The statement explained that an administrative structure created by the Supreme Leader under the Constitution of IPOB cannot lawfully claim independence from the constitutional authority that established it.

The group stressed that to suggest otherwise is to invert the very foundation upon which the Directorate of State was created.

It noted that the simple question every IPOB member must ask is, if Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu possessed the authority to create the Directorate of State, by what logic he does and if he lacks the authority to dissolve, reorganise, or reconstitute it?

While saying that the answer is obvious, the group observed that the authority to create necessarily includes the authority to reform, restructure, replace, or dissolve.

The statement added: "The Code of Conduct provides under Section II, Subsection A – Appointments and Dismissals:

“The power to appoint, suspend or dismiss erring Principal officers vest exclusively on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu except and to the extent he clearly and expressly delegates that power to any other principal officer.”

"The constitutional consequence of this provision is straightforward.

"Once the Supreme Leader exercises the power of appointment, suspension, dismissal, or dissolution, every officer affected by that decision is under an immediate obligation to comply. There is no constitutional mechanism within the IPOB Code of Conduct that permits a dismissed officer to veto, suspend, delay, review, or reject a decision lawfully made by the Supreme Leader pursuant to his exclusive constitutional authority.

"Accordingly, the moment the dissolution of the 3rd Administration was announced, its tenure came to an end. Any continued claim to office thereafter ceased to derive from the IPOB Constitution and became a personal act undertaken outside the authority of the movement."

The statement observed that the issue before IPOB family members worldwide is not whether they agree or disagree with the dissolution, but whether the Constitution of IPOB remains supreme.

According to the group, a movement governed by rules cannot selectively obey its Constitution.

While saying that the authority of the Code of Conduct must be respected in moments of disagreement no less than in moments of consensus, IPOB explained that the Code provides that appointments are temporary and performance-based.

It stated that principal officers are appointed for an initial six-month period and may be renewed subject to satisfactory performance.

According to the group, such appointments are voluntary and carry no salary or financial entitlement.

It added: "Accordingly, no officer acquires a proprietary interest in any office within IPOB.

"The dissolved 3rd Administration appears to have operated under the mistaken belief that its tenure was permanent and that the authority that created it lacked the authority to dissolve it. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"It must also be noted that none of the members of the dissolved 3rd Administration is a founding member of IPOB. None occupied the offices they recently held by right. They occupied those offices solely by virtue of appointments made under the authority of the Supreme Leader.

"The same authority that appoints possesses the authority to remove. That is the law of IPOB. That is the Constitution of IPOB.

"IPOB is not Nigeria. We do not operate according to political ambition, office preservation, factionalism, self-entitlement, or power struggles. We operate according to rules. We operate according to discipline. We operate according to constitutional order.

"For this reason, the dissolution of the 3rd Administration is constitutionally valid, binding on all IPOB structures worldwide, and not subject to review by any officer, department, or administration within the movement.

"The 4th Administration of the Directorate of State, headed by Mazi Chris Nwaogu, has been duly constituted by the Supreme Leader and is now fully operational."

The group further directed All IPOB structures worldwide to accord the 4th Administration full recognition and cooperation in the discharge of its responsibilities, saying that any individual or group purporting to exercise authority under the dissolved 3rd Administration acts without constitutional authority and outside the framework of IPOB.

It stressed that such conduct constitutes a disciplinary offence under the Code of Conduct and shall attract appropriate sanctions.

The group further called on all genuine IPOB family members worldwide to remain calm, focused, disciplined, and unwavering in their loyalty to the Constitution of the movement and to the Supreme Leadership of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

"Discipline is not negotiable.

"Loyalty to the Constitution of IPOB is not negotiable. Loyalty to the Supreme Leader is not negotiable. The IPOB Code of Conduct is supreme", the statement added.