Clark: Probe Buhari, Ciroma, Kaita, Others Before Kuku, Dokubo

…Ex-Militant Leaders threaten showdown with House

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, (THEWILL) – Elder statesman and leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, has challenged the House of Representatives to start its probe on provocative, seditious statements made by former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) and former Minister and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Adamu Ciroma and others.

Clark said the House would have done a good job if it did that before taking on the former militant leader, Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo and Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta and Chairman Amnesty Committee, Kingsley Kuku.

His call came as former militant leaders with the outlawed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) threatened a show down with the National Assembly if Dokubo and Kuku appear before the House based on the threat to summon them.

Operating under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), their leader, Comrade Pastor Reuben Wilson, accused the lawmakers of acting out an ethnic and parochial agenda. Also former Commander of MEND, Comrade Eris Paul ('Commander' Ogunboss), said the House' decision is capable of instigating ethnic and sectional interests.

In a letter written to the Speaker of House of Representatives,Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, on Thursday, copy of which was read to newsmen in Warri, Delta State , Clark commended and supported the House's condemnation of Kuku's and Dokubo's statement but wondered why the House did not react to similar statements earlier made by prominent northern leaders.

According to the Ijaw leader, only a satisfactory answer by the House on why it kept silent on similar statements made by Buhari, Ciroma, former Kaduna State Governor, Lawal Kaita and others will place the House above "sectional, tribal and religious influence" in the matter.

Clark, who said though the statements accredited to Kuku, and Dokubo are "unwarranted, uncalled for and irresponsible if such careless statements were made", however expressed “strong reservation on the House's reaction which seems to be one-sided and discriminatory because the House had not condemned similar provocative, seditious and more inflammatory statements made by some Nigerian leaders especially northerners. More so when some of the incitement arising from such statements are presently causing serious security problems in Nigeria."

According to Clark, "It is pertinent for me to add here that these inciting statements by these Northern leaders and politicians were not made in vain, they were matched by actions. The crisis that followed the 2011 election results was devastating. Election violence erupted in some parts of the North."

While urging the House not to restrict its investigation to Dokubo and Kuku's statements, Clark said, "Mr. Speaker, please I urge the House of Representatives to investigate provocative and inflammatory statements made by all Nigerians on this issue because every Nigerian has the right to aspire to be the President of Nigeria, Senate, Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of Nigeria.”

He stated further: "Today, some people believe when certain people achieve certain positions, others feel they have done a favour for them. I repeat that Nigerians must have to change because it is not the Nigerian of our dream."

Clark reiterated the call for a National Conference before the nation's centenary celebration in January 2014 , saying the conference would help Nigerians decide what they expect and the type of country they want to belong to after 100 years of amalgamation.

All these are coming as former militant leaders of the outlawed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), have threatened a show down with the National Assembly if Dokubo and Kuku should appear before the House based on the calls to summon them.

Operating under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), their leader, Comrade Pastor Reuben Wilson, accused the lawmakers of acting out an ethnic and parochial agenda.

Also former Commander of MEND, Comrade Eris Paul ('Commander' Ogunboss), said the House' decision is capable of instigating ethnic and sectional interests.

LPCDI, in a statement said, "We observed that irrespective of the decision made by the Federal Representatives, they should be aware of failure to arrest the likes of Mohammud Buhari, Dr. Junaidu Mohammed and Abu King Shuluwa.”

Ogunboss also accused the Chairman of Northern Governors Forum and Niger State Governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, of bias over the governor’s reaction to Dokubo’s statement.

"If Aliyu thinks he was sincere enough to protect the nation from an impending doom, let him call on the security agencies to begin their investigations with Muhammed Buhari, who in recent times has been a crying foul over threats of bloodshed and revolt on the nation’s unity, as witnessed in Egypt and Tunisia.

"If Asari's statement is capable of creating disunity and disaffection on the nation's unity, as Governor Aliyu and his counterparts in the House of Representatives have stated, what will Buhari's utterances be capable of, perhaps "divide"?," he said.

Also another Niger Delta, group, Front for Ijaw Survival and Hope (FISH) and the Niger Delta Intellectuals Council for Good Governance (NDICGG) have described the call for arrest of Kuku and Dokubo as “political hypocrisy” .

In a joint statement, issued in Warri, Delta State, Comrades Solomon Aloba and Prince Afoke Okporua, leaders respectively for FISH and NDICGG, respectively, said the calls were hypocritical.

“We say so because during the Yar'Adua interregnum, Datti Ahmed the head of Islamic Council, threatened Nigeria's peace and unity.

"Also the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ,called for violent change and Mohammadu Buhari, talked of the monkey and baboons being soaked in blood if 2015 election is unfavourable to him and no one called for their arrest,” they said.

Promising “resistance in attempts to stampede President Jonathan out of office”, the Niger Delta groups said the Boko Haram sect was “a political mechanism by some northern political interests to re-negotiate their way back to the number one political position of Nigeria.”

The groups said those who believe that Niger Deltans bearing the wealth used to sustain the nation are too inferior to govern Nigeria, “should not expect we would allow our resources to be used to run and sustain Nigeria.”

Elder statesman and leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, has challenged the House of Representatives to start its probe on provocative, seditious statement made by former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) and former Minister and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Adamu Ciroma and others.

Clark said the House would have done a good job if it did that before taking on the former militant leader, Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo and Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta and Chairman Amnesty Committee, Kingsley Kuku.

His call came as former militant leaders with the outlawed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) threatened a show down with the National Assembly if Dokubo and Kuku appear before the House based on the threat to summon them.

Operating under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), their leader, Comrade Pastor Reuben Wilson, accused the lawmakers of acting out an ethnic and parochial agenda. Also former Commander of MEND, Comrade Eris Paul ('Commander' Ogunboss), said the House' decision is capable of instigating ethnic and sectional interests.

In a letter written to the Speaker of House of Representatives,Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, on Thursday, copy of which was read to newsmen in Warri, Delta State , Clark commended and supported the House's condemnation of Kuku's and Dokubo's statement but wondered why the House did not react to similar statements earlier made by prominent northern leaders.

According to the Ijaw leader, only a satisfactory answer by the House on why it kept silent on similar statements made by Buhari, Ciroma, former Kaduna State Governor, Lawal Kaita and others will place the House above "sectional, tribal and religious influence" in the matter.

Clark, who said though the statements accredited to Kuku, and Dokubo are "unwarranted, uncalled for and irresponsible if such careless statements were made", however expressed “strong reservation on the House's reaction which seems to be one-sided and discriminatory because the House had not condemned similar provocative, seditious and more inflammatory statements made by some Nigerian leaders especially northerners. More so when some of the incitement arising from such statements are presently causing serious security problems in Nigeria."

According to Clark, "It is pertinent for me to add here that these inciting statements by these Northern leaders and politicians were not made in vain, they were matched by actions. The crisis that followed the 2011 election results was devastating. Election violence erupted in some parts of the North."

While urging the House not to restrict its investigation to Dokubo and Kuku's statements, Clark said, "Mr. Speaker, please I urge the House of Representatives to investigate provocative and inflammatory statements made by all Nigerians on this issue because every Nigerian has the right to aspire to be the President of Nigeria, Senate, Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of Nigeria.”

He stated further: "Today, some people believe when certain people achieve certain positions, others feel they have done a favour for them. I repeat that Nigerians must have to change because it is not the Nigerian of our dream."

Clark reiterated the call for a National Conference before the nation's centenary celebration in January 2014 , saying the conference would help Nigerians decide what they expect and the type of country they want to belong to after 100 years of amalgamation.

All these are coming as former militant leaders of the outlawed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), have threatened a show down with the National Assembly if Dokubo and Kuku should appear before the House based on the calls to summon them.

Operating under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), their leader, Comrade Pastor Reuben Wilson, accused the lawmakers of acting out an ethnic and parochial agenda.

Also former Commander of MEND, Comrade Eris Paul ('Commander' Ogunboss), said the House' decision is capable of instigating ethnic and sectional interests.

LPCDI, in a statement said, "We observed that irrespective of the decision made by the Federal Representatives, they should be aware of failure to arrest the likes of Mohammud Buhari, Dr. Junaidu Mohammed and Abu King Shuluwa.”

Ogunboss also accused the Chairman of Northern Governors Forum and Niger State Governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, of bias over the governor’s reaction to Dokubo’s statement.

"If Aliyu thinks he was sincere enough to protect the nation from an impending doom, let him call on the security agencies to begin their investigations with Muhammed Buhari, who in recent times has been a crying foul over threats of bloodshed and revolt on the nation’s unity, as witnessed in Egypt and Tunisia.

"If Asari's statement is capable of creating disunity and disaffection on the nation's unity, as Governor Aliyu and his counterparts in the House of Representatives have stated, what will Buhari's utterances be capable of, perhaps "divide"?," he said.

Also another Niger Delta, group, Front for Ijaw Survival and Hope (FISH) and the Niger Delta Intellectuals Council for Good Governance (NDICGG) have described the call for arrest of Kuku and Dokubo as “political hypocrisy” .

In a joint statement, issued in Warri, Delta State, Comrades Solomon Aloba and Prince Afoke Okporua, leaders respectively for FISH and NDICGG, respectively, said the calls were hypocritical.

“We say so because during the Yar'Adua interregnum, Datti Ahmed the head of Islamic Council, threatened Nigeria's peace and unity.

"Also the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ,called for violent change and Mohammadu Buhari, talked of the monkey and baboons being soaked in blood if 2015 election is unfavourable to him and no one called for their arrest,” they said.

Promising “resistance in attempts to stampede President Jonathan out of office”, the Niger Delta groups said the Boko Haram sect was “a political mechanism by some northern political interests to re-negotiate their way back to the number one political position of Nigeria.”

The groups said those who believe that Niger Deltans bearing the wealth used to sustain the nation are too inferior to govern Nigeria, “should not expect we would allow our resources to be used to run and sustain Nigeria.”