The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance (CCSO4GG) has flayed a group known as the Coalition of Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations (CNDCSO) for threatening to embark on a protest, demanding the sack of the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Samuel Ogbuku, and Chairman of the Board, Chinese Ebie.

According to a statement issued by the spokesperson of CCSO4GG, Johnson Oluwatobi, the Niger Delta group had raised frivolous and baseless allegations of administrative lapses and legal breaches within the NDDC, nothing that they are unfounded and lacking in merit.

Oluwatobi noted that the Coalition of Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations is nothing more than a group of political actors masquerading as civil society organisations. According to him, their true intentions are not to represent the people of the Niger Delta, but to undermine the significant progress being made in the region.

He pointed out that their attempt to destabilise the NDDC leadership under Ogbuku is an attempt to derail the positive momentum that has been achieved under his administration, which, he said, has brought unprecedented development, transparency, and accountability to the region.

Oluwatobi also noted that the CCSO4GG rejects the idea that Ebie’s appointment as NDDC Chairman violates the Niger Delta Development Commission (Establishment Etc.) Act 2000, saying that the CNDCSO has misinterpreted Section 2(2) of the NDDC Establishment Act, which does not invalidate Ebie’s appointment.

He said: “The Act does not stipulate that the Chairman of the NDDC must come from a specific state or region, and Ebie’s appointment is both lawful and in line with the relevant provisions of the law.

“This claim is another example of the group’s attempts to sow division and confusion in the region, without any legal or factual basis. “Under the current leadership of the NDDC, significant strides have been made in improving the quality of life for citizens across the nine Niger Delta states, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Rivers, and Ondo.”

Oluwatobi stressed that in light of the remarkable achievements, the CCSO4GG has passed a vote of confidence on Ogbuku, urging President Bola Tinubu and the general public to disregard the antics of these “political actors,” who, according to him, want to sabotage the progress being made in the region.

MEANWHILE, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has denounced the call for protest againstEbie and Ogbuku. In a statement signed by the IYC spokesman, Bedford Berefa Benjamin, the organisation described the call for protest as “a joke taken too far,” urging those involved to reconsider their actions.

IYC noted that a court of competent jurisdiction has already given a verdict on the matter, maintaining that any further protest would be reckless, counterproductive and unlawful.

The youth group expressed concern that the constant attempts to pull down top political officeholders and high-profile personalities from the region are unbecoming, unreasonable and shameful.