AGGRIEVED ex-militants in the Niger-Delta who recently returned to the creeks, over their dissatisfaction with the post-amnesty programme, yesterday, dismissed the widely held notion that they would work against President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential poll, saying, he (Jonathan) is their candidate.
Spokesman of the Niger-Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, which issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to convene a conference with ex-militants to sort out the grey areas of the post-amnesty programme, “Captain” Mark Anthony, in a statement stated, “We want to employ this chance once again to correct the wrong impression being paraded by people of mindsets and mischief-makers that this current armed hostility is intended to discredit President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2011 presidential ambition.
“There is no iota of truth in that insinuation and that we want to draw the attention of the general public that NDLF is an apolitical organisation and shall not allow themselves to be used and run a calumny campaign against any politician towards the 2011 build-up election.
But the bottom line is that the said Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is our candidate by virtue of birth and his good sterling past track record with which we are solidly standing behind with the belief that, when elected he would help to address some of the problems bedeviling the Nigerian state and the people of Niger Delta, caused as result of bad leadership over the years”.
“Therefore, we want to restate our commitment and unsolicited support for his 2011 presidential campaigns. But we are fighting the fraudulent place called Nigerian government and its inimical and bad policies”, the group added.
The continued: “For NDLF, while we are waiting for the 2011 general election to join hands with others to elect Mr. President as President next year, we expect that the federal government should start making the negotiation process to accomplish late president Umaru Musa Yar’dua’s dream of the presidential amnesty to seek minds of different interest groups into dialogue that may bring a lasting peace in Niger Delta.
“Sequel to a lot of misgivings in our recent oil war declaration and renewed dogged violent armed agitation in correcting generational internal colonialism and slavery by the upper class ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, there have been accusations and counter accusations on our stern stance with readiness to complete the aged long armed struggle in Niger Delta”.
Source:Punch
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