FORMER Niger Delta militants seem unrepentant on their widely condemned stand that there will be trouble should President Goodluck Jonathan lose the February 14 election.
Among those who condemned the former militants’ stand is one time Defence Minister Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, who said war mongers should be arrested.
But yesterday, former Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) leader Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) restated the threat he issued along with other ex-militant leaders in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The threat, said to have been issued in the presence of Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and the Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Niger Delta, Mr Kingsley Kuku, has been widely condemned.
Tompolo attacked Gen. Danjuma, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and all perceived enemies of President Jonathan, who he insisted must win to avert a crisis.
He said: “Gen. Danjuma and his cohorts should know that I remain resolute on my position in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, that President Goodluck Jonathan must win this election for Nigeria to continue to stay together.”
Besides, Tompolo, in the statement signed by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Bebenimibo, in Warri yesterday, accused the former Army chief of being behind the stoning of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states.
Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members were behind the stoning of the President’s convoy in Bauchi.
Tompolo warned that Nigeria was already on the brink of disintegration in the wake of the expiration of the 1914 amalgamation treaty, hinting that the defeat of President Jonathan could be the final nail on the coffin.
Said he: “Gen. Danjuma should be reminded that the devilish treaty that brought the Southern and Northern Protectorates together in 1914 expired last year. Danjuma and his likes, such as Gen. Buhari, Gen. Obasanjo and Mr. Bola Tinubu, should be grateful to President Jonathan who has been keeping this country together.
”If not for President Jonathan, Nigeria would not have been any more. Danjuma and his cohorts should be reminded of the saying that ‘those who live in glass house should not throw stones’.
”The call by Gen. T.Y Danjuma (rtd) to arrest me and other agitators for a better living for the people of the Niger Delta region is an indication that he is behind terrorism in the North eastern part of the country as well as the stoning of President Jonathan’s convoy in Kastina and Bauchi states, because he has never condemned those acts, even though Boko Haram attacked churches and mosques in his home town.
”Is Gen. Danjuma not aware of the peaceful atmosphere when Gen. Buhari visited Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa (home state of the President) states for campaign? Why is it that President Jonathan’s convoy was attacked in Kastina and Bauchi states without any provocation?
“Who is Gen. Danjuma if not for the oil wealth he is enjoying from the Niger Delta? He should be rather arrested for being behind terrorism in the North.
“Where was Danjuma when Mallam Ciroma Adamu threatened to make Nigeria ungovernable, if President Jonathan defeated the All Progressive Congress Presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammedu Buhari? Where was this so called statesman when the APC campaign Director General (DG), Mr. Rotimi Ameachi threatened to form a parallel government if President Jonathan wins the 2015 elections? Where was this hypocrite when Dr. Junaid Muhammed, Muhammedu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar all said in separate interviews that the nation will boil if Jonathan won the election in 2011?
“Is it the interest of Nigeria Gen. Danjuma is protecting or his oil bloc in the Niger Delta? Is it the interest of Nigeria Danjuma is protecting or his 50 million dollars donation to Gen. Buhari for his campaign?
”Let Gen. Danjuma and his cohorts know that they will not see any Ijaw man, the Igbos and others to fight on their side if the war that they are planning broke up,” he added.
The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), in a statement circulated by its spokesman, Eric Omare, said the former defense chief’s call fell short of such expected from a statesman, expedition viewed against the background of the fact that he failed to comment while President Jonathan’s campaign train was consistently attacked in some northern states.
The IYC, which claimed to be in the meeting in the Bayelsa state’s Government House where the threats were allegedly issued, also described the reports of threat as misleading as such was never part of the meeting’s resolutions.
The group however called on security agencies in the country to ignore the calls from General Danjuma and the opposition All Progressives’ Congress (APC) for the arrest of the former militant leaders as they were borne out of misleading reports.
“We are surprised that General Danjuma swiftly called for the arrest of Tompolo, Asari and other Niger-Deltans, whereas he has neither condemned nor called for the arrest of those who have been consistently attacking the convoy of President Jonathan in the northern part of the country. General Danjuma’s call is not deserving of an elder statesman who is supposed to be unbiased rather than his obvious bias against the Niger-Delta people. Only yesterday, in Gombe State a supporter of President Jonathan who was pasting his posters was attacked and seriously brutalised. Why has General Danjuma not condemned this dastardly act if he is really an elder statement?
“There was no time at the meeting the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson, with youth leaders and ex-Niger Delta freedom fighters where it was resolved that Niger Delta people would destabilise Nigeria, if President Jonathan fails the February 14, 2015 presidential election. This did not form part of the resolutions of the meeting, which were read out by Hon. Kingsley Kuku for Governor Dickson to transmit to Mr. President.
“The meeting was called by the Governor of Bayelsa State, to solicit support for President Jonathan from Niger-Delta youths and ex-freedom fighters. However, the meeting frowned at and its dissatisfaction with the persistent attack on the campaign convoy of President Jonathan in some northern states when General Buhari, his main opponent, was protected and campaigned freely in the south during his campaign tour. Hence, the meeting condemned in the strongest terms the attack on President Jonathan and resolved that nobody can intimidate President Jonathan out of the presidential race. At the meeting, all the youth leaders and ex-Niger Delta freedom fighters resolved to put their grievances aside and agree to work for the re-election of President Jonathan.
“Therefore, the report on ex-militants threatening to destabilise Nigeria in the event of President Jonathan losing the 2015 election is not part of the resolution of the meeting. The meeting could not have discussed that as we are confident that President Jonathan would win the February 14, 2015 presidential election.
“We, therefore, call on Nigerians and the security agencies to disregard the call for arrest of Tompolo, Asari and others, which is based on a misleading report. The accusation levelled against President Jonathan by the APC is also unfounded,” the statement said.
A former Minister of Defence (State), Dr Rowland Oritsejafor, called for caution over threats on the outcome of next month’s election, stressing that President Jonathan does not support violence.
Oritsejafor, who spoke to reporters in Warri, Delta State, remarked that that the initial threat was reportedly issued at the Bayelsa State Government House does not mean that it was the position of the Governor Seriake Dickson, or that of the PDP.
He said, “I can be invited to Aso Rock and then I make a statement; does that mean that the president supported what I said? Let us be very clear, PDP is a peaceful government with well-respected and responsible people. There is no way the PDP would support violence.
“Some people are making statements. I cannot come and defend those statements because I don’t know from where they are coming and I wasn’t there. However, as far as PDP is concerned, we will pursue peace and it is in our interest to pursue peace.
“So why would we want to invest in violence when we have opportunity to show what we can do? You can hear the President going round, it is all about what he has done and he keeps rolling them out.”
Pressed for reaction on the failure of security agencies and the Federal Government to take action on the threat, Oritsejafor conceded that he “would be worried if nothing is being done about it, but I don’t have the information and you have to be very careful when it comes to security.”
“You don’t know what they are doing, except you have done your investigation. If nothing is being done, that is unfortunate and I need to find out,” Oritsejafor added.
The leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, also yesterday, replied Gen. Danjuma in an abusive manner calling for his and other ex-militant leaders’ arrest for making provocative and inflammatory statements on Jonathan’s re-election.
Dokubo-Asari, an indigene of Buguma, the headquarters of the Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State and a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), spoke yesterday by the telephone, said: “Danjuma is a big…
“How can a … call for my arrest?
“I was misquoted. I did not make any provocative statement in Yenagoa and I did not threaten anybody. President Jonathan has already won the election.”
In Dokubo-Asari’s view with the “impressive” performance of President Jonathan, there is nothing to worry about.
