By Francis Sadhere
Chairman of Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation, Chief Michael Johnny has vowed that the All Progressive Congress (APC) would take Delta State by storm and produce the next governor of Delta state come 2019.
Chief Johnny made this statement yesterday in Warri when he played host to Delta APC leaders in Warri North, Warri South West, Burutu and Patani Local Government Areas of Delta State at his residence.
Addressing the Ijaw APC ward chairmen and leaders in the four local government council areas of the state, Chief Johnny said his decision to move to the APC was born out of the desire to move the Izon nation forward.
He said he had to convene the meeting so that the Ijaw nation in Delta State could come together and speak with one voice on how to move the Ijaw people forward.
He called on all Ijaw people in the state to embrace peace, saying that without peace no community can develop, adding that this was not the time for militancy but rather it was a time for intellectual militancy.
He noted that for the Ijaws must develop like other ethnic groups in the state, they must sit down in a round table to talk about how to develop their people instead of resorting to arms struggle all the time.
Chief Johnny therefore called on the federal and state governments to treat all those who take up arms in any part of the country as criminals, stressing that arm-struggle in whatever guise is a criminal offence.
The former PDP leader thanked APC members in the state for accepting the new decampees into their fold, saying that he was very happy to be part of the change mantra of the APC.
He lamented that most people in the country see every Ijaw man as a militant, stressing that no Ijaw man is a militant as those who took up arms did so because of the long years of neglect of the region by successive governments in the country.
Chief Johnny warned those who came to the meeting as spies to have a second taught, saying that they cannot derail them from achieving what they want to achieve in the meeting.
He also told the gathering that the Ijaws were the most backward people in the state because they believed that they can get anything they want through violence. He said because of this mentality, they have not being able to sit down as a people to think the way forward.
He said, “I want peace and that is why decamped from PDP to join the APC. I have empowered a lot of people and I have never used them for any form of militancy. We are the most backward people in terms of politics because we believe we could achieve what we want through violence. Our dream of joining APC is to bring development to our people.
“Now that we have our son as the Deputy governor of the state, some Ijaw people see any Ijaw man who is a member of the APC as a betrayer that does not want progress of the ijaw nation.
“APC is not a party of betrayers. As far as I am concerned, there are no militants in Niger Delta. What we had were freedom fighters. But some unscrupulous persons turned the freedom fight into what people are now calling militants today because of their selfish interests.
“Anybody that carries guns to fight for any cause must be treated like a common criminal. Let us come together and sit down in a round table and discuss the way forward for our people. We must first of all know what we want as a people before we come out to the public to cry out. We must work together to bring development to our people.”
Chief Johnny also revealed that negotiations were on top gear to see the smooth merger between Delta APC and Accord Party.
Also speaking at the APC gathering, Chief Pius Aghinighan who was represented Mr. Emmanuel Oki commended the courage of Chief Johnny for gathering all the Ijaw APC leaders in the state, noting that Chief Johnny is a wonderful leader that will lead the Ijaws to Eldorado.
Chief Aghinighan said he was hundred percent in support of Chief Michael Johnny and is ready to do all that he can to lead the Ijaw nation to great height politically.
Chief Aghinighan who stressed that PDP had made the Ijaw man a slave in the state, commended Chief Johnny for standing up to fight for the emancipation of the Ijaw nation, adding that with the mass movement of Ijaws to APC, development will soon spring up in all the Ijaw communities in the state.
Others who spoke at the occasion commended Chief Johnny for convening the meeting and promising to work with him to ensure that Ijaws in the state will work together as one for accelerated development of the Ijaw communities.
