The Federal Government has clarified that the petition submitted by Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, urging the United Kingdom to recognize the Yoruba nation, has not received any official endorsement from the UK government.
Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. He emphasized that the UK government typically does not involve itself in the internal affairs of sovereign nations.
“Following media reports about the petition submitted at No. 10 Downing Street by Sunday Igboho, the British High Commissioner in Abuja was invited to clarify the situation,” Abu-Obe stated. According to him, the High Commissioner expressed concern that media coverage of the petition was exaggerated, noting that the reports were misleading.
The British High Commissioner confirmed awareness of the letter being delivered but explained that it was part of an established practice allowing petitions to be submitted to No. 10 Downing Street. He stressed, however, that no UK government agency or the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee had endorsed the petition.
“The UK government generally refrains from getting involved in petitions regarding the sovereign affairs of another country,” the statement added.
The High Commissioner further highlighted that similar petitions have been rejected by the UK in the past. He assured the Nigerian government that the UK would maintain open lines of communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and reaffirmed the importance of the strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
This development follows Sunday Igboho’s submission of a petition on October 13 to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging the consideration of a Yoruba nation. The petition was reportedly submitted on behalf of Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, leader of the Yoruba Nation movement, as disclosed by Igboho’s spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, on social media.
