…Fingers Former PDP Members Now in APC, EFCC Lawyer
By Francis Sadhere
Ex-Niger Delta Militant Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) has denied involvement in the renewed attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta Region, fingering former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members who are now in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s lawyer, as those responsible for the destruction of oil facilities in a bid to smear his name.
Tompolo
stated this in an open letter he wrote to President Mohammadu Buhari titled, “Beware of Some of Your Party Members in Bayelsa and Delta States,” and made available to our correspondent in Warri.
According to the letter; “I wish to inform you that, it has come to my knowledge that ,the leader of your party and governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Bayelsa and a few young men from Warri South West LGA of Delta State, who joined the party from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after the 2015 presidential election are hell bent on linking me to the renewed vandalization of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, whereas they are the ones carrying out the act to smear my name.
“They are doing this in connivance with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC lawyer, who is also a member of your party, is at the forefront of prosecuting me because I refused to buy property from him.
“The crux of this letter is to let you know them that, they are dubious, mischievous, desperate, pretentious, manipulative and corrupt, therefore do not share the same vision and mission with you, as well as do not believe in good governance. I will briefly tell you some of their antecedents in this letter.
“The leader of your party in Bayelsa state approached me shortly after my meeting with you in Abuja, that I should accompany him to meet you and plead for him to be appointed as Special Adviser, SA and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty programme committee, which I refused to do because of his antecedents, as not a reliable and trustworthy person.
“It was thereafter he forced his way into the governorship election of the state, which almost tore the state apart with violence, beginning with the party primary in which he demonstrated a high level of desperation as was recounted by the chairman of the committee and governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
“As for the members of the party from my local government area, Warri South West, they have been involved in illegal bunkering and oil theft activities over the years, which I have been fighting against because of love for country. They know me as a no nonsense person. There is this particular one from the same Gbaramatu kingdom with me that has sworn to kill me because I refused to manipulate the ascension to our traditional stool in his favour when he was not even qualified for it. And so, he is looking for any opportunity to deal with me.
“As for the EFCC lawyer, he approached me some years back that should come to Abuja and Lagos to buy some choice property worth billions of naira from him. I told him that I do not have such money to buy property. Besides, I was not interested in holding property in Abuja and Lagos, except in my village. Since then he has been looking for any opportunity to drag me into matters I do not know anything about. And this is one of the reasons why I have not appeared in the court because he is not qualified to prosecute me.
“The truth of the matter is that I do not know anything about the 34 billion naira EFCC is talking about. First, it was 13 billion naira issue, now it is 34 billion naira. I am not a signatory to any of the companies mentioned in the said 34 billion naira case, so I do not know where this one is coming from. I know that God in His infinite mercy will see me through in this critical moment.”
