Nigeria - A coalition of former militants and agitators of Niger Delta resource control have endorsed and declared support to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi in the forthcoming general elections.

The group in a statement jointly signed by their leaders: Dede Udofia, Ibanga Ekang, Ekpo Ekpo and Ukpe Sampson, made available to journalists in Abuja, described Obi as the symbol of a new Nigeria.

The statement further described Peter Obi as the most qualified amongst the presidential candidates judging from his good record, character, competence and age.

The agitators also said that Obi would tackle the issues of Boko Haram and banditry in the north, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra ( IPOB), Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the East, and headers/farmers clashes in the north central as well as ensuring that Nigerian citizens enjoyed safe and serene environment at all times.

They added that it was also fair and just to vote someone from the south eastern part of the country, stressing that the Northern, western and southern regions of the country have had their share of the presidency, leaving the south east behind.

The statement read in full: “At the general assembly meeting of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators which held on 23rd January 2023 at Port Harcourt to reassess the current political waves, the challenges facing the nation, the antecedents of all the candidates as well as their ideological techniques to tackle the hydra-headed challenges facing the Nigerian state, the all night meeting takes into consideration the current failed security system in all geopolitical zones of the Nigerian state, the near-collapse economy, the infrastructural decay, the complete decay of the healthcare system as well as the massive fraud experienced in public offices across the country.

“The Coalition unanimously resolved as follows: That since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, the South West has produced a President for eight (8) years in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and currently the zone has produced Vice President in the person of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for eight (8) years.

“Similarly the North has produced two Presidents, Alhaji Musa YarAdua, two (2) years and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, eight (8) years respectively. The South South geopolitical zone has also produced a President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for six (6) years.

“It will therefore be a grave injustice, marginalization, oppression and wickedness to deny the South East the opportunity to produce the next President of Nigeria. It is therefore not logical for zones that have produced Nigerian Presidents to still seek such mandate again even when such candidates lack strength and ability to discharge such functions.

“That all the candidates presented by political parties for the forthcoming presidential elections are eminently qualified, but the only person with good records, character, capacity, young, energetic with deep knowledge of the challenges facing the citizens is Mr. Peter Obi.

“He is a symbol of a new Nigeria and we believe that giving him the presidential will be of great benefit to Nigerians as Nigeria will be returned to the path of infrastructural development, growth and prosperity.

“The present security challenges in the country will be holistically addressed by Mr. Peter Obi, particularly Boko Haram and Bandits in the North; IPOB, ESN and unknown gunmen in the South East as well as Herdsmen in the Middle Belt, South West, South East and South South zones to ensure that Nigerian citizens enjoy safe and serene environment at all times.

“It is therefore not in the interest of our fatherland and future generation to vote a Nigeria’s President based on ethnic or religious sentiments as doing so would be disastrous for the country considering the present economic woes facing the citizens.

“We call on all the Niger Delta citizens especially the ex-agitators, present serving agitators and all the Niger Delta citizens to vote massively for Peter Obi as we trust that he shall ensure the full implementation of Niger Delta master-plan, job creation through industrialization, proper funding of the NDDC and Presidential Amnesty Office, full implementation of the third phase Presidential Amnesty Programme as well as implementation of the reintegration phase of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to the beneficiaries which the present administration is not sincere in its implementation proper.

“We want to state that the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators is already working and willing to mobilize all the Niger Delta agitators, ex-agitators, youths and women in all the coastal, riverine and hinterland communities in across the Niger Delta states to vote massively for Peter Obi and ensure his victory at the polls as the man that ensure that a better Niger Delta and Nigeria is delivered to the Nigeria citizens.

“A vote for Peter Obi is a vote for competence, better Nigeria, stability, peace, infrastructural development, educational/technological advancement, safety/security, better and stabilized economy.”

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