By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal Government has refuted claims that the United Kingdom endorsed a petition submitted by Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, calling for the recognition of the Yoruba nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, described media reports on the petition as “highly misleading.”
He explained that following reports of Igboho’s petition being delivered to No. 10 Downing Street, the British High Commissioner in Abuja was summoned for clarification. “The High Commissioner expressed concern that the matter was overblown, indicating that the media reports were highly misleading,” Abu-Obe said.
The High Commissioner confirmed awareness of the petition but clarified that it was part of a routine process for receiving letters at No. 10. “It was not endorsed by any agency of the UK government or the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee,” the statement added.
The UK government, the commissioner noted, does not typically involve itself in petitions related to the internal affairs of sovereign nations. He also mentioned that similar petitions had been rejected by the UK in the past.
Abu-Obe emphasized the High Commissioner’s commitment to maintaining strong bilateral relations between Nigeria and the UK and to continuing cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as needed.
Sunday Igboho, according to his spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, had submitted the petition to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on behalf of the leader of the Yoruba Nation movement, Professor Adebanji Akintoye. The submission, made on Sunday, was publicized by Koiki via his X handle.
