From Ben Dunno, Warri
The dream of a genuine truce between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta leaders appears a mirage following yesterday’s emergence of a new group, the Pan Niger Delta People’s Congress (PNDPC), as parallel to the Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
Addressing newsmen in Warri yesterday, Leader of the PNDPC and paramount ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom in Burutu council area of Delta State, Pere Charles Ayemi-Botu, described the group as fallout of the failure of the Chief E.K Clark PANDEF to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people in the region.
He, however, debunked insinuations that the emergence of his group was a coup against Chief Clark, noting that the PNDPC was a child of circumstance, brought about by the demand of agitators who necessitated the birth of PANDEF.
Meanwhile, the Chief Clark-led PANDEF has insisted that it remains the only body set up to represent the interest of the people of the Niger Delta, describing the PNDPC and its coordinator, Chief Mike Loyibo, as impostors. Pere Ayemi-Botu noted that the membership of the body is opened to all Niger Delta people, adding that they would soon commence an engagement with all stakeholders on Niger Delta matters.
The monarch said: “In the course of accepting our nomination and mandate, which also translates into withdrawal of an earlier mandate given to a sister organisation, we have widely and meticulously consulted our people and became convinced that as a result of the low success achieved, so far, in this struggle, a change in command and operational dynamics has become inevitable.
“It is very sad to note that due largely to external and structural imperfections in Nigeria’s present federalism and the internal mismanagement of funds allocated for the development of the region, we have remained poor in all ramifications, in spite of our enormous contributions to the wealth of the Nigerian project.”
This situation must be reversed. “The Pan-Niger Delta People’s Congress must work more assiduously to usher in massive infrastructure and human capital development in the region.”
Also speaking to newsmen after the briefing, Coordinator of the PCNPC, Chief Mike Loyibo, said the new body was convened by the agitators in the Niger Delta, believing that the people now selected to represent the region have the integrity to speak on their behalf without hiding anything from them.
He said the new group has all the members that formed the core of the PANDEF and noted that all the people who started the PANDEF had all fallen back to PNDPC.
PANDEF, in a statement issued by its Coordinating Secretary, Dr Alfred Mulade, had written off the PNDPC as an impostor group, calling on government not to heed its antics.
“PANDEF remains a non-profit, non-political and non-religious regional organisation, with its members cut across all political, cultural and religious divides; the undisputed voice of the region, and, certainly, not a platform for seeking political, social or pecuniary tendencies as some persons would want to erroneously think.
“PANDEF, hereby, urges the government and all stakeholders to be wary of these confused persons and troublemakers whose intents and activities are inimical to peace, stability and development of the Niger Delta region, as we call on the security agencies to investigate them accordingly,” the statement said.