The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, yesterday asked the former federal
Commissioner for Information and Ijaw leader, Chief
Edwin Clark, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Asari- Dokubo,
High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo and other Niger Delta militants to be mindful of what they
say at this period of the nation's political history. The PDP also warned other support groups,
organisations, professional bodies and associations
rooting for President Goodluck Jonathan to be careful
with their utterances to ensure decency in the polity. This was even as ex- MEND Commanders in the Niger
Delta, gave General Theophilus Danjuma seven days
ultimatum to apologize over his call for the arrest of
Asari Dokubo,Tompolo for threatening that Nigeria
would break up if President Jonathan lost the
February Presidential election. The ex-militants said that war would follow in Nigeria if Jonathan lost the
election. Chief Clark and the ex-militants blasted
General Danjuma in their reaction, saying that his
remarks were disappo-inting. At a meeting in Port
Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday, the
former militant commanders in the region condemned the call for the arrest of front line freedom fighters in
the region, Alhaji Mujahideen Asari Dokubo and
Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo, saying that
the call amounted to a declaration of war against the
Niger Delta region. Former MEND Commander, Victor Ebikabowei Ben,
alias General Boyloaf, also asked General Danjuma to
apologise and hide his head in shame or face
humiliation. However, speaking with newsmen in Abuja, PDP
National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh noted
that although the party appreciated the support of all
Nigerians, it was disturbed over the provocative
statements of some people which could provoke
other parts of the country, warning that Jonathan was not an Ijaw President or that of the South South geo-
political zone of the country alone but the president of
all Nigerians. Metuh said, "we want to stress and state publicly,
that whilst we have noted the interest, zeal and
enthusiasms of individuals, various groups, support
groups and organisations, that are supporting the
president with statements, adverts, documentaries
and TV programmes; we appeal to them to be guided by the noble ideals and the visions of the founding
fathers of our party. "We are not in agreement with their statements and
we are cautioning them to mind what they say. No
individuals own the party. The President could be
more loved in Anambra than Ijaw area. He has
support in Adamawa than in Bayelsa States… "Well, we have noted that whilst we are not
responsible for the utterances, statements of some of
our support individuals, groups and organizations; we
are cautioning them to be mindful of what they say. "Ours is a national party. We cover all zones, all local
governments. No individual owns our party, no group,
no people, no zone owns our party. And being a
national party, we caution some of our people, some
of our supporters to be mindful of the zeal that they
exhibit. Let the wrong impression not be given. "President Jonathan could even be more loved in
Anambra than in the Ijaw area. He could even be
more loved in Zamfara than in the Ijaw area. He could
even have more support and more votes from
Adamawa than in Ijaw. And to buttress this,
yesterday in the campaign, Mr President informed all that the Adamawa people gave him twice the number
of votes that he got from Bayelsa. So the president is
not the president of Ijaw, he is not president of
Bayelsa; he is not president of South South, he is the
president of the entire Nigeria and he has the support
of the entire country." On PDP's anticipated victory, Metuh said, "We are rounding up next week. So we
have done over 70 percent of our campaign. Alhaji Asari- Dokubo had threatened that " ex-
militants would return to their old ways should
President Jonathan lose the election," at a meeting
last week in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, Reacting to the issue, the former Minister of Defence,
General Theophilous Danjuma called for the arrest of
Dokubo and other former Niger Delta Militants for
threatening to rock the boat should President
Jonathan lose the February 14 election. Danjuma who described the statements as reckless,
had said, "those are very reckless statements made
by irresponsible individuals and they should be
condemned. In fact, they should be arrested.'' But responding to Danjuma, Chief Edwin Clark,
Tompolo, Dokubo, others tongue lashed the former
Minister, accusing him of sponsoring attacks on
Jonathan and that the government should arrest him
rather than the ex- militants. Clark who said he was
disappointed at the call by Danjuma for the arrest of the Ex- Militants, stressed that he (Danjuma) ought to
have condemned the attacks on Jonathan in several
states in the North. Meanwhile, ex militant Commanders in the Niger Delta
region have asked General Danjuma to apologise over
his call for the arrest of front line freedom fighters in
the region or face problems. 'General' Reuben Wilson aka Pastor who handed
the ultimatum on behalf of other commanders of
Defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta,
MEND in Port Harcourt said Danjuma had by his call for
arrest of Niger delta crusaders called for war against
the region. Wilson who is now president Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative said
Danjuma was among northern leaders that had richly
benefited from the oil resource in the region. "Our attention has been drawn to publications
credited to T.Y.Danjuma, a former defence minister,
calling for the arrest of former Niger Delta freedom
fighters, including our frontline selfless leader and
hero, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo. "As much as he has the right to free speech,
Danjuma ought to know that the oil money he is
enjoying today, through his ownership of oil blocs,
came from our sacrifices and blood. We staked our life
to fight for the development of our country. We fought
for freedom for our land and it pains us that people like Danjuma who have reaped bountifully from the
Niger Delta, can wake up to insult our sensibilities. "For Danjuma to call for the arrest of Asari Dokubo,
then he has walked on the tail of the serpent. The
much we know is that we the ex militants who
decided to drop our guns to join forces with the
federal government to develop the country, especially
the Niger Delta have never said anything or taken any action that would warrant such explosives from
Danjuma,'' he said and reaffirmed the support of
ex militant commanders for the second term bid of
Jonathan. "All we have said overtime is that our
brother, President Jonathan, is a true son of the Niger
Delta, and deserves to enjoy the two terms in office provided for in the constitution. We stand by this right
and we will do everything legal and legitimate to
make sure that he is not denied that right, not by a
thousand Danjumas.
