'We Shall Defend Jonathan's Mandate ' Niger Delta Militants

We, the leaders, former Generals and Commanders of defunct combatant camps

and groups in the Niger Delta met today, Monday 18th April 2011 where we

extensively deliberated on crucial national issues, especially the outcome

of the presidential elections held last weekend and resolve as follows:

1. To Congratulate the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC), Professor Atahiru Jega for successfully conducting what

has gone down in history as the fairest and freest presidential election in

the history of Nigeria. We however urge him to speedily declare the formal

final result of the presidential election which is already well known to all

Nigerians
 
2. We congratulate His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

GCFR, for being the first sitting President of Nigeria to have conducted a

transparently free, fair and credible election even while he stood the risk

of losing at the polls. We note that it is the first time a sitting

President has fully funded the Independent National Electoral Commission

without interfering whatsoever in the commission's affairs.

3. We also congratulate Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for winning, most

resoundingly, last Saturday's Presidential election. We are urging those who

lost at the presidential polls to accept the result which indeed is the

verdict of the people of our great country they themselves aspired to

govern. They must also accept the verdict of God who alone bestows

leadership on who He deems fit. God Almighty has chosen Dr. Goodluck Ebele

Jonathan as Nigeria 's leader for the next four years and this fact must be

respected by all
4. We condemn in very strong terms, the post election violence being

perpetrated and sponsored in parts of northern Nigeria by disgruntled

politicians and crises-profiteers. We regard the outbreak of violent

protests as uncalled-for, barbaric and very retrogressive. But we dare

assert that this sponsored violence does not in any way mirror or reflect

the inner feelings of overwhelming majority of the northern masses. The

northern masses, just like their brothers and sisters in the south,

particularly the Niger Delta, are victims of years of misrule under the same

persons orchestrating the post-election violence across the north. Because

the northern masses share similar deprivation as their southern compatriots,

they thronged voting centres in their respective wards last Saturday to vote

for change, to vote for a fresh and better start, they voted for Dr.

Jonathan who we all know is all too poised to pave the way for a better

future for our great country
5. We call on the long suffering northern masses to resist the negative,

selfish and self-serving antics of the political jobbers who are behind the

political violence across the north. We urge the northern masses to

challenge these crises profiteers to withdraw their sons and daughters from

their expensive schools abroad to join the riots that they are instigating

6. We urge our brothers and sisters in the south, especially Niger

Deltans to see what is happening in the North as merely bait or trap to join

the fray. We must resist this temptation even when we have the capacity and

capability to retaliate violence in any form or shape. Instead of succumbing

to this temptation, we wish to thank all Nigerians for the national mandate

they have given our dear brother, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. We note that

because of the overwhelming support of Nigerians irrespective of region,

tribe, tongue, religion, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has become the product of the

freest and fairest election in Nigeria .
7. We affirm that we shall not retaliate any violence targeted at us,

at least for now. We are however calling on the international community as

well as all men and women of good conscience to promptly prevail on this

political jobbers who are stoking the embers of war across the north to

sheath swords given that the consequences of their action would most likely

endanger the unity of this country. We are proud to say that since

independence, the people of the Niger Delta have nurtured and nourished

Nigeria with our God-given natural and human resources. And since 1960, a

section of this country has consistently produced either the President or

Head of State of our nation and the people of Niger Delta, the goose that

lay the golden eggs, have consistently backed the north and continued to

water the seed of unity and development of the country. We are piqued that

for once, an eminently qualified Niger Deltan has won the freest and fairest

presidential election in Nigeria and some crises-profiteers in the north are

sponsoring violent protests. It is so sad and regrettable.

8. We are solidly behind the Nigerian mandate given Dr. Goodluck Ebele

Jonathan and we shall join the teeming populace of Nigerians to defend the

mandate with the last drop of our blood. On this score, we are calling all

ethnic nationalities in the south of this country to temporarily return

home for communal consultations as we await keenly the direction things will

go in Nigeria in the next 48 hours. Similarly we have directed all our

Generals and commanders to retreat to their communities and points and await

further instructions in the next 48 hours.
9. We are also calling on the National Security Adviser and all security

agencies to secure the lives and properties of all northerners and

southerners alike in all parts of the country so as to avoid the escalation

of the post-election crisis. We wish to remind them that it is their

responsibility to stop those who hide under whatever guise to perpetrate

criminality. Indeed we know for sure that if the ugly events playing out

across the north had happened in the Niger Delta, the nation's security

agencies would have brought to bear the full weight of the law, including

even the declaration of a state of emergency.
10. We commensurate with the families of the victims

of the dastardly political violence in some parts of the North. We console

those who have lost loved ones and heard-earned property and pray that the

Good Lord who aided the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the popularly

elected President of Nigeria will replenish their loses in record time.

11. Very importantly, we want all Nigerians and the

international community to understand that if a Niger Deltan cannot be

accepted to legitimately govern Nigeria despite our contribution to the

economic well-being of the country, we shall not allow a non-Niger Deltan to

rule over our resources.
12. Thank you.
 
Signed:
· Chief Government Ekpemupolo (a.k.a. Gen. Tompolo)

· Chief Ateke Tom
· Alhaji Asari Dokubo
· Chief Bibopre Ajube (a.k.a. Shoot At Sight)
· General Ezekiel Akpasibewei
· Farah Dagogo
· Africa Ukparasia
· Paul Ezizi (a.k.a.Comdr. Ogunbos)
· Pastor Reuben Wilson
· Joshua Macaiver
· Ferdinand Amaibi (a.k.a. Busta rymes)
· Tamunegiyeifori Proby (a.k.a. Egbele)
· Kenneth Opusinji (kula Community)
· Kile Selky Torughedi (a.k.a. Gen.Young Shall Grow)

· Bonny Gawei
· Aboy Muturu
· Hendrick Opukeme
· Paul Bebenimibo
· Chief Dennis Otuaro
· Gomoh Ekiyou
· Saibakumo A.E
· Wilson Gbaire
· Andabafa Opunamah
· Soboma Jackrich