Tompolo, Dokubo
Despite widespread condemnation of
the war threat by some Niger Delta militants if President Goodluck
Jonathan loses the February 14 presidential election, some
socio-political and cultural groups in the South-East and the South-West
have backed the militants.
The groups made their positions known in separate interviews with Reporters.
At a meeting with the Governor of
Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, on January 24, which had a former
Commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta,
Victor-Ben Ebikabowei, aka Boyloaf; leader of the Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteer Force, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari; and Government Ekpudomenowei, aka
Tompolo, the militants had threatened unrest if the President loses his
second term bid.
The Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo argued that what
the militants meant was that if the election is not fair and credible
and Jonathan loses, they will reject the result. This, the Igbo group
said, “is a right position to take.”
The National Publicity Secretary of
Ohanaeze, Mr. Osita Oganah, quoted the All Progressives Congress as also
saying if the election was rigged and its candidate, Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.) lost, the party would form a parallel government.
“There’s nothing wrong in that too,” he added.
Oganah stated, “We, the Igbo, are in
support of what the militants have said to the extent that they’re
putting Independent National Electoral Commission under pressure. Their
comments should move the INEC to do its best so that every would-be
voter gets his or her Permanent Voter Card. Nobody must be
disenfranchised.
“These militants are Nigerians–they
belong to this country and want the best for this country. What the
militants have said is not out of place. I don’t see any reason why the
Temporary Voter Card cannot be used.
“If the electorate is unable to get
PVCs, it’s INEC’s fault and not theirs; making that statement is to
ensure that if the election is conducted well, Jonathan will win.”
Similarly, the Oodu’a Peoples Congress
said the recent attacks on Jonathan’s campaign train in the northern
part of the country made the militants to rise in the President’s
defence.
The National Coordinator, OPC, Mr. Gani
Adams, said, “They are entitled to their opinion. There are different
ways of approaching the election. They spoke based on the attacks on
Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi. When some politicians wanted to
frustrate (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo in 2002, we (OPC) rose up
to confront them.”
In the same vein, the Progressive
Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, a
breakaway faction of MASSOB, said the militants were right with their
position.
The Director of Information, Progressive
MASSOB, Mr. Uchenna Madu, said while the group was not political, it
shared the general political interest of Igbo people.
He said, “What they said was true. If
Jonathan loses the election, there would be a greater height of
militancy in the Niger Delta region; if Buhari loses, insurgency will
increase. It is on both sides.”
However, the Afenifere Renewal Group
stated that the militants were not the electorate that would determine
who would win or lose the election.
The National Publicity Secretary, ARG,
Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, said the country practises democracy and there
should not be dictatorship. He added that the electorate should not be
coerced into voting for anybody.
Also, Afenifere condemned the position of the militants.
The spokesperson for the socio-political
group, Mr. Yinka Odunmakin, said, “The drumbeats of war from the Niger
Delta and the North are unacceptable. We, the Afenifere, condemn the
call for war by the Niger Delta militants.
A former Minister of Defence and
ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), had on
Wednesday called for the arrest of the militants.
He described their threats as “unguarded
and reckless,” warning that “miscreants” must not be allowed to hold
the country by the jugular.
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