The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has announced
the withdrawal of its support for the administration of President
Mohammadu Buhari, alleging that the government was playing politics with
the group.
This is coming barely a year after the Movement for the Emancipation of
the Niger Delta gave its absolute support for the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
The spokesman of the defunct militant group, Jomo Gbomo, stated this in an
electronic statement issued on Sunday where it passed a vote of no
confidence on the federal government, accusing her of playing politics
with the issue of dialogue and development of the region.
MEND said since the time President Buhari met with the leadership of the
Pan Niger Delta Forum under the headship of Chief Edwin Clark on November
1, 2016, some top government functionaries in Buhari’s administration had
been ‘arrogantly’ making controversial, prejudicial, conflicting and
contradictory statements about the issue of finding lasting peace in the
region.
According to the release, “Without prejudice to the pre-2015 Presidential
election endorsement freely and voluntarily given to President Muhammadu
Buhari on January 6, 2015, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta (MEND) hereby categorically and unequivocally pass a ‘vote of no
confidence’ on the government of President Buhari.
“That prior to and after his reluctant meeting with the traditional
rulers, opinion leaders and stakeholders of the Niger Delta region, under
the auspices of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) on November 1, 2016,
President Muhammadu Buhari has been carrying on arrogantly and making
controversial, prejudicial, conflicting and contradictory statements about
the politics and economy of the oil-rich region.”
The statement lamented that President Buhari has always, for reasons best
known to him, held the Niger Delta region in contempt “while accusing
and/or blackmailing the leadership of the region of not being ready for
dialogue whereas it is the Federal Government who are not ready or willing
to name a team to dialogue with the people.”
It alleged that the government had failed to honour concessions reached
before it agreed to announce a ceasefire with militants in the region
including the release of the Okah brothers and several other political
detainees and prisoners of conscience under a grand deception by the
current government.