The Federal Government of Nigeria has stated that the petition submitted by Yoruba nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as “Sunday Igboho,” calling on the United Kingdom to consider the Yoruba nation, was not endorsed by the UK government.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, described media reports regarding the petition as “highly misleading.”
“Following media reports on the petition submitted at No. 10 Downing Street by Mr. Sunday Adeyemo, the British High Commissioner in Abuja was invited to shed light on the issue,” Abu-Obe said.
“During the meeting, the High Commissioner noted with concern that the matter was overblown, indicating that the media reports were highly misleading.”
He further explained that the High Commissioner was aware of the delivery of the letter but emphasized that it was merely a standard practice to allow the delivery of letters and petitions to No. 10.
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“It was not endorsed by any agency of the UK government nor the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee,” Abu-Obe added. “The UK government typically does not concern itself with petitions concerning the sovereign affairs of another country.”
The spokesperson noted that the High Commissioner also explained that similar petitions had been rejected by the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee and the UK government in the past.
He confirmed that the British envoy agreed to continue liaising with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as needed while reiterating the importance of the bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
This clarification follows earlier reports that Sunday Igboho submitted a petition to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
While the content of the petition remains undisclosed, it is believed to be related to the quest for an independent country for the indigenous Yoruba people of South-West Nigeria.
