By Our Correspondent
THE Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change (NDIMRC) has told the North to forget the Presidency till 2027 just as it made it known clearly to the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Northern Governors that they cannot stop the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
In a press release signed by its President, Nelly Emma; Secretary, John Sailor and Public relations Officer, Mukoro Stanley, the group threatened to cut oil supply to the North should leaders from the region continued to oppose the re-election of President Jonathan in 2015.
The press release reads; “We want the Sultan of Sokoto to know that we are aware of his game plans with some Governors from the North to frustrate the re-election of President Jonathan in 2015. We want the Sultan of Sokoto and his co-travellers to take this as a warning that we will resist any attempt by them to stop the President in 2015.”
“We are not begging the Sultan of Sokoto, Northern Governors and other leaders from the region to allow the President contest in 2015, the issue of the re-election bid of President Jonathan in 2015 is sealed, signed and delivered. Nobody can stop the moving train of the re-election of the President. The plan by the North to use Boko Haram to frustrate President Jonathan has failed hence, the enemies of the President are now using the Governors of the North to destabilize the administration of the President and they will equally fail in this their mission,” the group stated.
According to the group also, “We are aware of the desperation of the North to take over power in 2015, but they have to wait till 2027. After the tenure of President Jonathan in 2019, power will shift to the East till 2027 and so the North should perish their Presidential ambition till 2027, we are serious about this and that is the way it must be.”
“And we want to tell our brother, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State to be reasonable and support President Jonathan, rather than allowing himself to be used by those from the North to stop the President in 2015,” the group said.
The group did not also spare those rooting for the sack of the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke, warning them to halt their action against the patriotic Petroleum Minister.
According to the group, “The Petroleum Minister is doing a great job for our country and she should be encouraged to do more. But we want to sound a note of warning here that those doing everything to frustrate the Minister to desist from such act. The Minister is good and the President will continue to retain her even till 2019. The President has been able to carry all parts of the country along. In the past when those from the North were in-charge, the Petroleum Minister and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC came from the North; but the President who is very transparent has changed all that. If we are pushed too far, we will cut oil supply to the North and ensure that the positions of Petroleum Minister and GMD of NNPC are retained by people from the South-South region because for too long, we have tolerated the insensitive of the North to the plight of the people from the oil-rich Niger Delta region and we are saying enough is enough.”
“The Petroleum Minister as a good daughter of the Niger Delta region is spending the resources from the oil-rich region prudently in the oil and gas sector, unlike General Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd) and others from the North who are controlling oil blocs of the Niger Delta region and do not know what to do with the money at a time when the people from the region are living in abject poverty,” the group stated.
The group also expressed dismay over treatment being given to people of the Niger Delta region by the oil majors such as Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and Total Nigeria.
The group wrote “We are warning these oil companies who are not employing people from the Niger Delta Region and at the same time not patronizing local contractors to wake up now and do the right thing as we will not hesitate to come to them soon in full force. Therefore, they should promote Niger Delta people who are working but have not been promoted for over six (6) years. They should equally dole out contracts to our local contractors.”
