The ex-agitators recalled that they earlier raised the alarm that “enemies of the region had launched a campaign of calumny against President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and Ndiomu to discredit their achievements in PAP.
They stated this in a joint statement signed, yesterday, by the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Strategic Communication Committee (STRACOM), Mr. Nature Dumale, and the National President, First Phase Ex-agitators, Henry Ekes, Ovuru the 1st.
The stakeholders in the statement, which was also signed by Heads of First Phase Ex-Agitators in Rivers, Granville Ideye; Bayelsa, Ebite Ifiemi; Second Phase, Sylvester Tambo and National Chairman, Third Phase, Tonye Bobo, described the attack on Ndiomu as criminal and unwarranted.
Dumale, who read the statement in Port Harcourt, said the detractors, recently, circulated a report claiming that the Niger Delta elders and traditional rulers petitioned Buhari and asked for the suspension of Ndiomu over alleged corrupt practices.
He said names contained in the report were fictitious and could neither be traced to any elder nor traditional ruler in Niger Delta.
Dumale insisted that all the allegations contained in the report were fictitious, false and preposterous.
He said: “The only interpretation to the action of these faceless individuals and groups is that they are desperately trying to stoke crisis in the Niger Delta.
“They want Buhari’s administration to further lose credibility by targeting the only region that has remained peaceful, despite the turbulence and separatist agitations in other parts of the country.
“Using the revered traditional institutions to make false claims about one of the most illustrious sons of the Niger Delta, like Ndiomu, is criminal and blackmail taking too far. This is why we are calling on security agencies to investigate these characters, unmask their identities and arrest them.”
Dumale said all ex-agitators were behind Ndiomu and his efficient management of the amnesty programme, especially after all their investigations into allegations levelled against him gave him a clean bill of health.
He claimed traditional rulers in the Niger Delta, elders, chiefs and other stakeholders had also thrown their weight behind Ndiomu for sanitising PAP and sustaining peace in the region.
