A couple of days ago it was reported that an ex-militant, Israel Akpodoro, had made a shocking link between ex-president Goodluck Jonathan and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and claimed that Jonathan was behind their formation.
Akpodoro had claimed that in a meeting in January of 2015, that Jonathan made plans to take action should Buhari win the election and formed the Niger Delta Avengers for this purpose.
Now a representative of the Ijaw Youth Council worldwide (IYC) has called Akpodoro out saying that the allegations were a fallacy.
In a statement made by IYC spokesman, Eric Oare, he said such a claim was nonsensical as it was impossible for a leader like Jonathan who had even been gracious enough to concede defeat and congratulate his opponent to contrive such a plan.
The statement said: “The attention of the group has been drawn to a statement issued by one Israel Akpodoro, who claimed to be the National President of National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex- Agitators alleging that former President Jonathan founded the Niger Delta Avengers.
“The initial reaction of the IYC was to ignore the said statement considering the fact that the said Akpodoro is unknown and has no pedigree in the Niger Delta region.
“However, we have consistently been inundated with calls and messages by concerned Nigerians all over the world as to the true position as far as the allegations are concern. This response is to set the records straight for the benefit of the reading public.
“The allegation that the NDA was formed by Jonathan in a meeting he attended in January 2015 preparatory to the 2015 general elections to make the country ungovernable for his successor is absolutely untrue.
“It is nonsensical to imagine that former President Jonathan who conceded defeat and congratulated his opponent, current President Muhammadu Buhari, even before the final result was announced would make such a plan.
“In the first place, the January 2015 meeting of ex-Agitators and stakeholders in the region was not attended by Jonathan and the meeting never resolved to make Nigeria ungovernable for President Buhari.
“The IYC leadership also attended the meeting and the President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri was one of the speakers at that meeting. The meeting was called to calm down the youths of the Niger Delta who were aggrieved with the attack on former President Jonathan in some northern states during the campaign for the 2015 Presidential elections.”
“This situation made youths of the South-South to be aggrieved and it was in that state of affairs that the then Presidential Adviser on the Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, in conjunction with the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, took the proactive step to call a stakeholders meeting where the attack on Jonathan in the North was condemned.
“They asked the youth of the South-South to give peace a chance. It was never resolved at that meeting to set up Niger Delta Avengers and to make Nigeria ungovernable. The initiators of this historic meeting deserve commendation rather than condemnation.
“For the records, the said Akpodoro was never an ex-Agitator; hence he could not have been selected to address such an important gathering of stakeholders in the region. The issue of his being moved out of the meeting because he opposed the idea does not arise as the even the media personnel who were in the meeting can attest this fact.”
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