MILITANTS: Clark too old to negotiate for Niger Delta

Opposition to Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) as the mouthpiece of the people of the Niger Delta region has continued to mount with maintained rejection of the group by a coalition of Niger Delta militants.

The group of militants tagged PANDEF as an assemblage of elders who are “Idols of under-development in the Niger Delta”. They insisted that the Clark-led group cannot talk with the Federal Government on behalf of the region any longer.

They made the position known in a statement on Saturday released by the leader of RNDA, ‘Major General’ Johnmark Ezonbi, aka Obama, on behalf of the coalition.

According to the militants, there was urgent need to change leadership of the region engaging the Federal Government at the negotiation table from “old brigade.” Only such a change, they argued, will ensure that the struggle for all round development of the region is successful.

Members of the coalition are Reformed Niger Delta Avengers; Niger Delta Joint Revolutionary Crusaders Council; Niger Delta Supreme Egbesu Fighters; Niger Delta Red Scorpion Fighters; Niger Delta Youth Mandate for Justice; Niger Delta People’s Liberation Force; Niger Delta Fighters for Resource Control; Niger Delta for Urhobo Resource Control; and Bakassi People’s Liberation Force.

The coalition had recently announced a new set of leaders under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Peoples Congress (PNDPC) who it said would replace PANDAE to dialogue with the Federal Government on behalf of the people of the oil region.

In the statement on Saturday, the militant groups insisted that the new leaders under PNDPC, had their mandate to discuss with the Federal Government.

Among the people in the group the coalition said would negotiate for the region under the congress included the Paramount Ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom, Pere Ayemi-Botu, who will serve as the head while Mike Loyibo will act as the coordinator/convener of the group.

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Other leaders, according to the militants groups, are King Bassey Achiaringa, the paramount ruler of Ibeno land, Akwa Ibom; King Suanu Baridam, Gbenemene Bua II, Ogoniland, Rivers State; Olisa Imegwu, Paul Evwierhoma, Prof. Patrick Mouboghare; Justice Fedode Tabai (retd.), a retired Deputy Inspector of Police, Mike Zuokumor, Peremobowei Ebebi; Prof. Christopher Dime, among others.

They dubbed Clark as being too old to continue to lead the negotiation, adding that his group are made up of leaders who would not want the younger generation to rise.

“Why did they not form PANDEF when Goodluck Jonathan was the President? They were at the corridors of power. Contracts and other decisions were taken at their Abuja houses. We must say that President Muhammadu Buhari has shown commitment to the Niger Delta as his deputy, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, has visited the creeks to see things for himself,” the coalition said.

They described the suspension of the quit notice to Igbo living in the North by northern youths as a good move but maintained, that the only reason the Arewa youths would issue such in the first place was because they did not believe in Nigeria’s unity.

 

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