Ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region, including the Presidential Amnesty Strategic Communication Committee, STRACOM, have raised alarm over plots to unleash a campaign of calumny against President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd) and Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd) on the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP.
Newsmen gathered that the first, second and third phase ex-agitators, who rose from a meeting organised by STRACOM in Port Harcourt on Wednesday also passed a vote of confidence on Ndiomu for repositioning PAP.
The stakeholders in a written address read by the National Secretary, First Phase Ex-Agitators and Chairman, STRACOM, Nature Dumale Kieghe, said enemies of the Niger Delta were being recruited and bankrolled by politicians to spearhead campaigns of character assassination aimed at rubbishing the achievements of Buhari in PAP.
Others, who signed the statement are Chairman, First Phase Ex-Agitators, Rivers, Granville Ideye; Chairman, First Phase Ex-Agitators, Bayelsa, Ebite Ifiemi; National Chairman, Second Phase, Sylvester Tambo and National Chairman, Third Phase, Tonye Bobo.
Dumale said some disgruntled portfolio contractors, who could no longer bypass anti-corruption measures and reforms put in place in PAP by Ndiomu were part of the ongoing gang-up to tarnish the image of Buhari, Monguno and Ndiomu.
He said: “Our investigations revealed that enemies of the Niger Delta recruited, sponsored and bankrolled by powerful politicians are spearheading these campaigns of character assassination to rubbish the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari in PAP with a sinister motive of deceiving unsuspecting members of the public to brighten their chances in the forthcoming general elections.
He said: “Their modus operandi is to accuse Ndiomu of corruption, roll out some unverifiable figures and try to link some senior officials of the amnesty office to their claims. They will also attempt to create an impression that the NSA is a direct beneficiary of imaginary corrupt practices.
“They will also labour to condemn the NSA’s recruitment procedure of interim administrators in PAP to whip up sentiment and force the hands of the President to return PAP back to the days of the locust when greedy politicians handpicked the coordinators of the amnesty office and used them to advance their political interests.”
He further said: “The recent wild, unsubstantiated, spurious and unfounded claims against the entire PAP’s administration under President Buhari by one Chief Olotu Owei is one in the series of evil campaigns and blackmail sponsored by these mischievous characters against the recent administrators of the programme including Gen. Ndiomu (retd)”.