Group urges Buhari to be wary of whom to appoint as next PAP Coordinator 

By Ovasa Ogaga,

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to be wary of those positioning themselves for appointment as the next coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP particularly from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

 

The advice was given by a pressure group within the All Progressives Congress, APC under the aegis of Niger Delta Progressives, NDP wherein they disclosed that most of the contenders for the position do not have the interest of the region in line with the developmental agenda of the president.

 

President and secretary of the group, Chief (Dr) Gita Yinkore and Mr. Felix Oyinkoro in a statement yesterday, described these individuals as persons positioning themselves for another round of fleecing of the programme.

 

The group while x-raying the report of one Udeh Daniella wherein the author analysed the chances of those gunning for the job, counselled the President and the National Security Adviser, NSA not to be moved by such “political jobbers who are bereft of political and humanitarian challenges of the Niger Delta region.”

 

The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the quest by some sons of the Niger Delta region particularly those from the PDP to succeed Prof Charles Dokubo as coordinator of the amnesty programme.

 

“We will like to put it on record by questioning the rationale of some of these contenders like Dr. Chris Ekiyor, who is a card-carrying member of the PDP in Delta State and an appointee of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led government to head the programme when we have credible persons within the party from the same state.

 

“Another contender is Chief Dennis Otuaro, younger brother to the Delta State Deputy Governor and an agent to the PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election who was reported to have allegedly slapped an APC chieftain during the polls.

 

“It is also laughable and preposterous that Col Dedis Abel (retd), a chief of staff to a former PAP coordinator, Gen Paul Boroh (retd) who was sacked for mismanagement of PAP funds and is being investigated, will be interested in this position.

 

“However, having perused all the contenders, we urge President Buhari and the NSA to look deep, consult and appoint a young industrious, progressive and youth-oriented Niger Delta advocate who has paid the price for peace in the region.

 

“Though we are not in a position to project any candidate for the presidency, we believe the emergence of this candidate as PAP coordinator will be a round peg in a round hole in driving the agenda of Mr. President for the Niger Delta region.

 

“Subsequently, Mr. President and the NSA should be careful of these PDP individuals lobbying to benefit from the lofty developmental agenda of an APC administration as we believe we have capable hands in Delta Ijaw APC to carry out this assignment especially at this time when all the states have agreed that the coordinator should emerge from Delta State.

 

“However, we will also like to reiterate that any attempt to end the programme will further ground oil production in the region as we believe it will have a boomeranging effect on the state of insecurity in the Niger Delta.”