The Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta says it has been vindicated by the Reformed Niger Delta
Avengers’ allegation that former President Goodluck Jonathan is a grand
patron of new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers.
MEND claimed in a statement on Tuesday
that Jonathan was sponsoring the NDA to destabilise the government of
his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari.
The statement signed by one Jomo Gbomo
was MEND’s response to Jonathan’s denial of the allegation by the RNDA,
linking the ex-President with the new militant group.
The full text of the statement was made available to online news platform, SaharaReporters by MEND.
MEND said it was highly infuriated by
Jonathan’s rebuttal of the RNDA earlier claim, particularly his
declaration that Henry Okah was after his life rather than clear the air
on the allegation.
The statement said, “MEND cannot hold
brief for the RNDA, which pointedly accused Mr. Jonathan of complicity
in fueling the ongoing Niger Delta crisis and patronising the NDA,
apparently for political reasons.
“We are, however, quick to point out the fact that the RNDA has merely vindicated MEND’s belief and conviction that
the former President and his cronies, who lost the 2015 presidential
election, were using the illegal and treasonable NDA platform to
destabilise President Buhari’s government.”
The
group accused Jonathan of wasting the opportunity of the South-South to
rule the country, accusing him of failing to develop the region when he
was in the saddle as President.
The
statement added, “Indeed, the problem in the Niger Delta today has
nothing to do with the current administration of President Muhammadu
Buhari. Far from it! The problem is simply the failure of Mr. Jonathan
to address the root issues confronting the region when he was at the
helms of affairs.
”Even though he was from the
impoverished region and had, by his own admission in numerous
electioneering campaigns, experienced the utter poverty and abject
neglect of the region foisted by successive Nigerian governments and the
international oil companies since the discovery of oil in 1958 at
Oloibiri (a few metres away from his native Otuoke) in Bayelsa State,
Mr. Jonathan disappointingly frittered away the opportunity to rescue
his people when the Nigerian Presidency fortuitously landed on his laps,
virtually on a platter of gold.
“For six whole years, Mr. Jonathan was busy drinking, making merry and generally chasing shadows at the State House.
Such a fellow deserves to be ostracised from the assembly of reasonable
men; because the Nigerian Presidency might never come back to the Niger
Delta region as cheap as it came to Mr. Jonathan; perhaps, in the next
100 years.
“Lest we forget, MEND was at the
forefront of the armed struggle back in 2006/2007 which forced the then
Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to consider the option of
drafting an Ijaw into the mainstream of Nigerian politics. That was how
the perpetually timid and naïve Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan became
Vice-President and later, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
When he assumed the reins as President, he did the unthinkable; he
tracked down perceived MEND leaders and promptly got them imprisoned on a
trumped-up charge of attempt to assassinate him.
“Up until today, Mr. Jonathan is still suffering from an assassination paranoia complex.
The
group added that a substantial portion of Jonathan’s statement,
“unfortunately, dwelt on judicial matters which are pending in various
courts in Nigeria and South Africa.”Source: Punch Newspapers
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