REACTING
to the criticism of its endorsement of the All Progressives Congress
candidate, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for the presidency in the
2015 elections, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta
has insisted that Buhari is the best candidate in the race.
MEND, the umbrella body for militancy in the oil-rich Niger-Delta, said it would support the APC candidate.
Candidate of the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party, President Goodluck Jonathan, an Ijaw man from Bayelsa
State, is also from the Niger Delta.
MEND had on Wednesday declared that it
would support Buhari for the presidency, alleging that Jonathan had not
performed up to the expectations of Nigerians, a position that did not
go down well with the PDP and the Ijaw Youth Council.
Why the PDP, through its National
Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, queried APC’s link with MEND, the IYC
through its Publicity Secretary, Eric Omare, reportedly described MEND
as a “ghost”.
Jonathan, at the commencement of his
campaign in Lagos on Thursday, also said he did not expect the group’s
support because “some people procured MEND in 2010 to assassinate me”
and that the leader of the group, Henry Okah, is in jail in South
Africa.
But MEND, in an electronic statement by
its famous spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, on Thursday, described Metuh’s
position on its support for Buhari as “callous and irresponsible.”
The reaction of the PDP, the Niger Delta
militant group explained, further confirmed its views about President
Jonathan’s alleged inept government.
The statement read, “The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta views the recent question and statement
credited to the Peoples Democratic Party National Publicity Secretary,
Olisa Metuh, as very callous and irresponsible.
“This question: “Explain your connections
with MEND”, further confirms and vindicates our views about Goodluck
Jonathan, his inept government and the PDP.”
“MEND strongly denies any link with the
All Progressives Congress and has never been approached for anything, at
any point in time, by the party, as pettily alleged by Olisa Metuh.
“The Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta stands strongly by our endorsement and full support of
General Muhammadu Buhari as the man to lead the country out of its
present calamitous state in the hands of Goodluck Jonathan.
“MEND finds it laughable the recent
statement by Mr. Eric Omare, the Publicity Secretary of a mere tribal
assembly and political praise singers, known as the Ijaw Youth Council,
stating that ‘MEND is a ghost’. We clearly understand their frustrations
at our stance as it obviously came as a shock to them.
“Nigerians should ask this man (Eric
Omare) if he was referring to ‘ghosts’ when he lauded MEND for declaring
a temporary ceasefire six months ago.”
It added, “The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta, once more, urges Nigerians to ignore
the empty threats of this so-called ‘ex-agitators’ and the Ijaw Youth
Council. Their reckless utterances only ridicule and confirm the
colossal failure of the Amnesty Programme.
“We advise the Ijaw Youth Council to use
their idle time in telling and showing Nigerians and Niger Deltans what
the government of Goodluck Jonathan has done or achieved in Nigeria and
the region in the last six years in office, apart from giving them
handouts called monthly stipends.
“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/mend-replies-pdp-says-buhari-best-candidate/
No comments:
Post a Comment