A Niger Delta rights group, the Ijaw Liberation Movement
(ILM) has warned those attacking former President Jonathan for selfish reasons
to desist from it, or face the wrath of the entire Niger Delta people...
The
group which placed the blame on the doorsteps of egotistic politicians stated
that the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has cleared Dr.
Jonathan of all the accusations of scheming to hand over control of the party
structures in the state to his cronies. Jonathan In a statement issued,
Wednesday, by ILM National Cordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Ever, the group
emphasized that the party’s caretaker committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi
revealed on Tuesday in Abuja how the former President had been striving to
protect the same executive committee that was falsely accusing him of
interference saying: “When we read some sponsored fake and faceless
publications last week, claiming that former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
was scheming to dissolve and take over the structure of the People’s Democratic
Party in Bayelsa State, we chose to ignore them because we knew they were plain
lies. “We are happy that the party’s national leadership has finally vindicated
the peace loving former President. This came to the fore on Tuesday when the
party’s caretaker committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi cautioned the
visiting Bayelsa Executive committee members, who had raised the false alarm,
to avoid mischief and rumours, and work for the good of the party in the state.
“We saw shock in their faces when Makarfi bluntly told them that it was even
the former President who, on being alerted of a petition by some vested
interests for the dissolution of the state Exco, called and counseled him to
ignore such petitions. “Before then the purveyors of this sick narrative had
been circulating all manner of fabrications and lies supplied to them by their
pay masters, against the former President. Since we are not politicians, we however
do not begrudge them this ignoble route they have chosen for themselves, in the
bid to earn a meal ticket. “But we were worried that true sons of Ijaw Nation
could throw caution to the wind, flip their conscience out of the window, and
reconcile themselves to circulating barefaced unflattering lies against the
only man in the entire Niger Delta to have become President. But we are rather
worried that this nation has hit this low in hagiography and shadow writing.
Otherwise, how will any right thinking Nigerian or Bayelsan ever entertain the
thought that the former President would return to the state from his
respectable position as the national leader of the party, to begin to drag
control of the state structures with anybody? “Let us even assume without
conceding that Jonathan had strangely developed interest in retreating from his
God-ordained prominence at the national level and returned to Bayelsa to become
a local champion, as they claimed. Which route would have been easier in such
situation, for a man of his status? “Is it by surreptitiously sponsoring
anonymous petitions to the party leadership as they mischievously alleged, or
directly engaging the party’s national officers, some of who were even his
ministers, to achieve whatever end they claim he wanted? But this is even at
best a needless hypothesis. We are convinced that those apparently running
scared of even their own shadows, know, just as we do, that Dr. Jonathan, after
being Governor of Bayelsa and serving as both the Vice President and President
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has no other ambition in Bayelsa State.
“These people, in the bid to whip up sentiment against Dr. Jonathan, also
claimed that his aim was to seize the state platform as a launch-pad for a yet
to be declared 2019 presidential ambition. If not for the momentary warped
pleasure of mischief, would anybody even be talking about this, since it is
clear to all loyal PDP members that the party has zoned the next presidential
ticket away from Jonathan’s south south zone, to the north? “We believe that
Dr. Jonathan is actually not bothered by all these baseless and nonsensical
allegations, given the way he has ignored them. Our worry is that those who
sponsor and selfishly seek to benefit from this sick script do not care about
the dangerous threat their sinister plot poses to peace and security in Niger
Delta and Bayelsa State. We believe this consideration must have been
responsible for Dr. Jonathan’s avuncular disposition. As a peace advocate who
goes around the globe to preach and galvanize world communities to peace and
progress, Dr Jonathan is fully aware of the danger that lurks in the shadows,
whenever some soulless politicians deceive and mobilize the youths for the
wrong reasons. “We have recent examples in the Niger Delta where such
wrong-headed mobilisation and incitement had led to massive destruction of
properties and even loss of lives. We note with pride that Dr. Jonathan has
maintained a dignified silence despite all the lies his enemies have been
heaping on his head. We see that as the height of statesmanship. “As the
national leader of the party and a well celebrated man of peace, we have no
doubt in our minds, that Dr. Jonathan will not join issues with those hired
hands and their puppeteers, no matter the level of provocation. We will
continue to celebrate him as our democracy icon and the pride of Ijaw nation,
because we believe he had served the nation diligently, in good conscience, to
the best of his abilities. “In the interest of peace, we enjoin the former
President’s misguided traducers to retrace their steps from the wrong route of
bitter politics, and join hands with other well meaning compatriots, to work
for the Peace and progress, not only of Bayelsa, but of the entire country.”
No comments: