The Niger Delta Movement for Peace (NDMP) has accused the Bayelsa State Government of sponsoring and bankrolling campaigns of calumny against the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku.
The NDMP in a statement signed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by its coordinator, Jacob Sontai said it could confirm authoritatively that the Bayelsa Government was behind the recent falsehood of Ogbuku sponsoring the activities of the New Associates in the state.
Sontai said the government bankrolled a group, which identified itself as the Niger Delta Peace Ambassadors (NDOPA) led by one Bassey Patrick, to make the allegation.
Sontai said the allegation was false in its entirety and challenged the Bayelsa Government to provide credible material evidence to prove the allegation.
He explained that the New Associates is a political movement formed by friends and associates of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Chief Nyesom Wike, to highlight the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu across the country as a basis of drumming and mobilising support for his reelection in 2027.
Sontai said The New Associates had become unstoppable as it was gaining momentum in various states of the federation and was beyond the sponsorship of any individual.
He said: “Therefore, it is absolute falsehood for the Bayelsa State Government to link the Managing Director of the NDDC to the movement. It is even preposterous to claim that Ogbuku was in cahoot with anybody to destabilise Bayelsa.
” Well, we are not surprised as this is not the first time the government of Bayelsa state has tried to paint Ogbuku on a bad light. The question is; what are they afraid of? Ogbuku remains a beckon of hope to the younger generation and no amount of blackmail will deter young people from supporting him.
“How can Ogbuku, who has been instrumental to the development of Bayelsa including lighting up the state that had been in darkness for months turn around to work for the destabilisation of the same state?
“The Bayelsa State Government should leave Ogbuku out of its ill-conceived and self-centered war against the New Associates. The truth is that the Douye Diri-led state government is working against the second term ambition of President Tinubu because of Diri’s Vice-Presidential interest in 2027.
“As part of promoting Diri’s Vice-Presidential ambition, the Bayelsa Government is ready to shoot down any group drumming support for President Tinubu’s second term in office.”.
But Sontai said Diri was fighting a lost battle and wasting state’s resources sponsoring an agenda that was dead on arrival.
Sontai said: “The truth is that the New Associates had come to stay and will campaign and promote President Tinubu’s second term ambition in Bayelsa because it is part of the group’s constitutional right. The group will massively mobilise for President Tinubu and ensure he wins the forthcoming election. The NEW Associates is equal to the task”
As of going to press, the Bayelsa State government had not responded to the allegations.
