FG: UK didn’t endorse Sunday Igboho’s Yoruba Nation petition

The federal government says the UK did not endorse the petition by Sunday Adeyemo, an activist popularly known as Sunday Igboho, “seeking support” for Yoruba Nation.

Igboho had submitted a petition to the UK government on behalf of Adebanji Akintoye, leader of the Yoruba Nation movement.

The content of the petition is not known, but Igboho is believed to have sought the support of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the establishment of the Yoruba Nation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Eche Abu-Obe, spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, said the British high commissioner to Nigeria was invited to shed light on the issue.

Abu-Obe said during the discussion, the high commissioner noted the concern that the matter had generated, adding that reports were “highly misleading”.

“Furthermore, the High Commissioner informed he was aware of the letter being delivered but added that it was merely an established practice of allowing the delivery of letters and petitions to No 10,” the statement reads.

“It was not endorsed by any Agency of the UK government or the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee.

“The High Commissioner noted that the UK government typically does not concern itself with petitions concerning the sovereign affairs of another country.

“He informed that such petitions had been rejected by the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee and the UK Government in the past.

“In this regard, he 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 the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”