Following the statement credited to a former militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dikubo, that the North conspired with the South West to deny President Goodluck Jonathan a second term in office and that he was contemplating returning to the creeks, a group in the Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Peoples Confederation, yesterday faulted the comment, explaining that Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as President-elect reflects the wishes of majority of Nigerians and not a conspiracy.
The Co-ordinator, NDPC, Mr Iyamu Osaro Culture, in a press statement in Benin City, the Edo State capital, reminded Asari Dokubo that the majority of Nigerians voted for President Jonathan in 2011 because he enjoyed widespread support of Nigerians then, adding that rather than attribute Jonathan’s failure to a conspiracy between the North and South West, Niger Deltans must all support the new administration so as to fast track development in the region and Nigeria as a whole.
According to the statement, “Let no one see the emergence of General Muhammadu Buharias a conspiracy against the Niger Delta people because it is the voice of the people. In 2011 both the North and the entire South supported Jonathan because we all wanted him. But now people said they needed change let no body attribute it to ethnicity. Let us all take example from President Jonathan for congratulating Buhari, that is democracy in practice and the world will continue to respect him for that.
“At this critical time, we the people of Niger Delta wants rapid development of our region, countless youth empowerment and above all want the president –elect when sworn-in to retrieve all our oil wells that belongs to individuals and perhaps re-allocate them to Niger Delta states for aggressive transformation of our region.
“However, if the President-elect fails to meet with our expectations after four years, then we would change his government through the ballot just the same process President Jonathan was shown the way out. So we want to appeal to Mr Asari Dokubo to kindly give peace a chance as we look forward in joining the incoming President to transform our region and Nigeria at large which is not negotiable”.
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