By Amos Odhe
The Stand-up Niger Delta Security and Equity Group (NDSEG) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint an Ijaw member of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State as substantive coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
In a statement issued on Thursday in Benin City, Edo State, by its national secretary, Comrade T.A. Luke, the group noted that Delta State was the anchor point and championed the Niger Delta struggle which gave birth to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
It said, “This is because, since the inception of the Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP, no person from Delta State has been appointed as coordinator. Ondo, Rivers and Bayelsa States had produced coordinators respectively, while Delta State is yet to produce the coordinator for the presidential programme. Past administrations never considered any person from Delta State as coordinator.
“The Ijaws in Delta State sacrificed their lives and properties for the struggle. At that time, the Ijaws were tagged as trouble-makers etc. But, today everybody wants to benefit from the struggle, which the Ijaws fought for. We want to inform our amiable President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu that there are competent Ijaw members of APC in Delta State, where he should appoint the substantive coordinator.”
According to NDSEG, “There are speculations that a former governorship aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Delta Central is being projected for appointment as Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme. If this is true, we urge Mr. President not succumb to appointing a member of PDP as coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme because it will certainly cause bad blood among APC members in Delta State.
“It will be unfair and a deliberate injustice against the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta State, for Mr. President to appoint someone who contested in the Governorship primary of Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State in May, 2022. Such an injustice will cause dissatisfaction amongst the APC in Delta State, and also trigger fresh agitations across the region. Appointing a well known former PDP governorship aspirant in Delta State, as coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, may likely lead to unrest and threat to peace in the region.”
According to the group, “It is being speculated that a former governor in Delta State is projecting the former PDP governorship aspirant for the appointment. The former governor is behind the unholy plot to cause chaos by secretly pushing for the appointment of the former PDP governorship aspirant as coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“We want the prevailing peace in Niger Delta to be sustained. Anything that will breach the existing peace in the region should be jettisoned. Therefore, we are appealing to President Tinubu not to accept any nomination or recommendation of the former PDP governorship aspirant for appointment as coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme,” the group said.
