The Pan
Niger Delta Peoples Congress (PNDPC) yesterday insisted that the Pan
Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) led by Chief Edwin Clark can no longer
represent the people of the Niger Delta region because it had lost the
mandate given to it by the people of the region.
The
explanation came just as the PNDPC dissociated itself from separatist
groups, which had earlier issued an ultimatum to northerners and Yoruba
people to quit the Niger Delta by October 1, 2017, adding: “We are one
Nigerian and would remain so for now, that’s PNDPC belief.”
Coordinator,
Media Affairs of the PNDPC, Chief Monday Whiskey, said in a statement
in Warri that PNDPC had no personal grouse with Clark or members of
PANDEF but were only acting on the dictates of the people of the region.
According to
Whiskey, it was the same ex-agitators in the Niger Delta who gave
PANDEF the mandate to represent them in negotiations with the federal
government that has withdrawn the mandate.
“We are not
opposed to the Clark group (PANDEF). To be fair to them, they started
this current process but there are people who gave them the mandate-the
ex-agitators. But somewhere along the line, these ex-agitators
discovered that their method of operation was not in tandem with modern
day realities.
PNDPC said:
“It is these ex-agitators who withdrew the mandate earlier given to
PANDEF and gave the same mandate to us in the PNDPC to represent them at
this stage of the negotiation. We are not fighting with Clark because
he is our father but when those whom you represent decide to change the
pace of the dialogue, you have no other choice than to obey those who
gave you the mandate.
“The peace
process belongs to the people of the Niger Delta; they nominated members
of PANDEF in the first place. If they have withdrawn the nomination and
given it to another group, of course the new group would take over. We
are not confronting or fighting anybody or group. Do not forget that
most of the leaders of PNDPC were also members of PANDEF, and for
anybody to say the two groups are fighting each other over who speaks
for the region means such persons lack proper information about the two
groups.”
Whiskey
further said the PNDPC was poised to expand the 16-point agenda
submitted by PANDEF to make the document more inclusive of the demands
of the people across the oil rich region.
“Agreed that
PANDEF had submitted the 16-point agenda but it is left for the federal
government to implement it or not. Government can only implement
whatever you have submitted in a peaceful atmosphere. Government can
also decide on the ways it wants to implement it. We are even looking
beyond what PANDEF submitted because there are so many demands that were
not included in that document. We are looking at possibility of
including more things.
“As far as
the PNDPC is concerned, we believe that the government will give us a
better negotiating opportunity now because we believe in dialogue, we
don’t believe in hostility with the government. We strongly believe that
it is only when government has the enabling environment that we can
achieve the desired development in the region.
“We believe
that peace is better for development, and we don’t believe in
confronting government without any justifiable reason. If there are
reasons to confront, we must do so with facts and figures. Whatever
information we give to government must be credible enough as to give
government a lead to the development we want them to undertake in the
Niger Delta.
“We don’t
stand with the groups that issue ultimatum for northerners and Yoruba to
leave the Niger Delta. We believe that every ethnic group should
co-exist peacefully in Nigeria. All members of the federating units have
equal rights to live and work anywhere in Nigeria. We in the Niger Delta produce the wealth of this nation and we should not be begging to survive,” he said.
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