Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has warned former militants to withdraw their threat to declare former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar a persona non grata in Niger Delta, following the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In a text message to our correspondent, the ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, advised the former militants to promote democracy rather than resorting to threats and intimidation.
He said: “My reaction on the attitudes of the former militants to the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, is that they are crossing the mark that is alien to democratic tenets, since democracy is not a matter of threats and intimidation, but contest of ideas and reasons.
“So let us promote democracy that is premised on triple foundation of liberty, justice and common decency instead of resorting to threats and intimidation that have no place in democracy.”
Speaking in the same vein, the Niger Delta Youth Leader, Comrade Timi Frank, dismissed the threat as empty and lacking common sense.
Reacting to the position of the former warlords under the aegis of Leadership Peace and Cultural Development Initiative, who issued the threat at the weekend, Frank said the position depicted the ignorance of the group and only showed total lack of understanding of the crisis in the PDP.
The youth leader said it was wrong for the group to declare Atiku or indeed any northerner and Nigerian involved in the current crisis a persona non grata as the issue at stake was purely a party matter that should devoid of tribal, ethnic, religious or regional sentiment.
Frank reminded the group of the enormous role the North played in the enthronement of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency, noting that a strong tie existed between the North and the South-South region and would outlive the Jonathan Presidency.
He called on the security agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute any individual or group(s) aiming to incite the public through inflammatory statements.
Frank also enjoined the security agencies to remain neutral in the ongoing crisis as action such as the sealing off the new PDP secretariat was unlawful and could lead to eventual breakdown of law and order.
The youth leader asked Atiku, the G7 governors and other party stalwarts committed to efforts to revamp the PDP not to be deterred as the progressive youths of the Niger Delta region knew when to draw the lines between orchestrated mischief, party interest and national interest.
