The Youth Wing of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), on Monday, said the South-South geopolitical zone was the greatest loser in the last presidential election which the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, were declared winners.
The organisation said the region lost a golden opportunity of electing the joint ticket of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to reset the country on the path of socio-economic development and unite the different fragmented sections of the country.
It also stated that the entrance of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, was the reason the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the election to the APC.
Addressing journalists, on Monday, in Udu, Delta State, National Deputy Youth Leader of PANDEF, Olorogun Vincent Oyibode, maintained that from the results of the presidential election, it was evidently clear that Nigerians were not yet ready for an Igbo Presidency.
Oorogun Oyibode posited that it will be difficult for the region to achieve revamping of the moribund seaports in the region as well as relocation of operational headquarters of International Oil Companies (IOCs) from Lagos to the Niger Delta with Tinubu as Nigeria’s President.
He expressed fears that with Tinubu as president, some critical issues which were part of the 16-point demands of PANDEF might not be attended to by Tinubu/Shettima’s Presidency
“The outcome of the 2023 presidential election is cause for grave concern for all genuine sons and daughters of the Niger Delta area. The election has been won and lost and the greatest losers are the people of the south-south and Christians all over Nigeria. Ahead of the terribly rigged elections, the youths of the Niger Delta area under my leadership as the Pan Niger Delta Forum Youth Wing, took a stand on the need to vote Atiku Abubakar and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the PDP as the best and most strategic pair to reset Nigeria and return her to the path of economic recovery.
“We stood against the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC and drummed support for the PDP. However, our elders took a position to support Peter Obi of the Labour Party which we advised against because we believed it was not strategic enough for the political scenario of the country. Today, the Obi movement ended up dividing the votes of the PDP in the South-South and South Eastern Nigeria to give victory to the APC whose abysmal performance plunged Nigeria into untold hardship and pains.
“If the energy, time, support and goodwill invested in the Peter Obi movement were credited to Atiku Abubakar, the result would have been different. Today we have missed a golden opportunity to redeem the battered image of our dear country which has nosedive terribly in recent times.
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“We were genuinely worried that our elders were not seeing the handwriting on the wall. Our worries were that inasmuch as Peter Obi was leading a popular movement across the country, Nigeria was not ready enough for an Igbo Presidency. They have truncated another opportunity of producing the Vice President of Nigeria in the person of Senator Dr Ifeanyi Authur Okowa after the demise of Alex Ekwueme. We knew Obi was coming to destroy the traditional support base of the PDP which is the south-south and south-east. The outcome of the polls confirmed our fears as Peter Obi dominated the two zones with little inroad into the northern part of Nigeria. The script craftily designed by enemies of Nigeria was perfectly executed and the southern and middle-belt leaders fell for the bait which has affected the chances of Atiku Abubakar and Okowa to secure the much needed victory to reset Nigeria.
“Today, one of our greatest fears has been confirmed. A Muslim President and Muslim Vice President have been elected. And we all know the political and religious temperament of Kassim Shetima, the Vice President-elect, and his fanatical Islamic identity. This portends grave danger for Christians in Nigeria. We should be ready for what is coming.
“The 16-point agenda already presented to the Federal Government in 2016 suggested an overhauling of the nation’s seaports in the south-south and south east as potential economic stimulants for the region. The Koko Port, Onne Port, Warri Port, Ibaka seaport in Akwa-Ibom state and others are veritable agents of economic boom for the area if attended to, but the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency can never guarantee the revitalization of these seaports as his attention is on other facilities in Lagos State. The Apapa and Lekki Seaports are in Lagos and Tinubu will not allow other seaports in the country to thrive. We have lost a huge opportunity to reawaken our seaports through the intervention of Ifeanyi Okowa if he were to be Vice President. The implication is that Nigerians will be perpetual tenants to Lagos State. Let us be reminded of our request and the planned relocation of IOCs headquarters to the Niger Delta area and how Lagosians like Femi Gbajabiala, now Speaker of the House of Representatives, stood against the relocation, even when we had full support from House members from the North. With Tinubu as president, we should forget the relocation of the IOCs.”
Speaking on the implication of a Muslim-Muslim ticket on the country, Olorogun Oyibode said, “The vote we gave to the Muslim-Muslim ticket despite our objections portends grave danger for Christianity in Nigeria and there shall be dire consequences. The implication is that when matters relating to religious harmony are being discussed in the presidency, a Christian would most probably not be there. Decisions on taxes for Churches could easily scale through via executive order and our churches should brace up for hard times ahead as they would certainly be compelled to pay taxes in no distant time. The Islamic agenda is unfolding and Christians may face a bleak future in Nigeria. Total support for Atiku Abubakar would have saved the situation. Unfortunately, most Church leaders were agents and canvassers for the Peter Obi movement. Now things have fallen apart and the centre cannot hold.
“We are appalled at the commitment of some of our leaders to their avowed claim and support even for Peter Obi. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who claimed to be a staunch supporter of the Obi movement couldn’t muster enough votes to deliver his units. A national leader of his stature should have at least delivered considering the seriousness of the project. To some of us, he, too betrayed and cannot be trusted too.
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“The pressure from the Islamic fundamentalists like ISWAP etc would be devastating in the coming years. Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as Vice President would have been there to protect the interests of Christians. The Church leaders misled the people into opposing Atiku/Okowa and the result is what we have today. Now that Muslims have totally taken over Aso Rock, can we still say Christianity exists in Nigeria? We should not forget how Turkey was taken over by the Islamic religion to the total annihilation of Christianity in that country.
“The Nigeria 1999 constitution mentioned Sharia 73 times, Grand Khandi 54 times, Islam 28 times, Muslim 10 times and no single mention of Christ, Christians, Christianity or Church at all. The constitution has already skewed the legal identity of Nigeria towards an Islamic state. With the Muslim-Muslim president and Vice President, a full blown Islamic identity for Nigeria is on the way. They will be riding roughshod on the pains of Christians with impunity. The power distribution in the APC presidential ticket does not factor Christians at all. This is a source of worry for us at the PANDEF youth wing.”
The PANDEF youth leader described public outrage that trailed the outcome of the presidential election and the performance of INEC during the exercise as a national embarrassment that could have been avoided if the electoral umpire kept to his social contract of delivering a credible and fair election to Nigerians.
He re-emphasised that PANDEF remains commitment to a national government where there religious and ethnic harmony and justice to all.
“We are irrevocably committed to a national government that would represent the various religious and ethnic interests in Nigeria. The victory of Bola Tinubu is not a popular one and does not represent the feelings of the people. That is why there has been no celebration since he was declared winner till date. Democracy has been raped gruesomely and we cannot fold our arms to watch Nigeria cascade into a conundrum of avoidable disharmony. There is grave evidence of poverty of integrity in the Bola Tinubu’s victory. We are opposed to this Muslim-Muslim presidency and our people must see the unfolding drama as an assault on our collective sensibilities.
“INEC has failed Nigeria. The transmission of results from the polling units to the server as promised by INEC was a ruse. Manual collation of results was done instead of electronic transmission that could have guaranteed the credibility of the process. Prof Mahmood Yakubu surrendered himself to be used to undermine the democratic will of the people and this is callous and unfortunate.
“However, we want to demand from Bola Ahmed Tinubu to recognize the secular identity of Nigeria as a nation. The president-elect must take the Niger Delta question as a cardinal agenda of his administration by taking the 16 point agenda raised by PANDEF before the FG in 2016. Any failure to attend to our queries can lead to unrest in the Niger Delta area. Our zone harbors the liquid gold which is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. We are watching as events continue to unfold. We pray and hope for the best for Nigeria.
“In conclusion, we call on the people of the south south and southeast particularly christians of all denominations as a matter of National emergency, mobilize to deliver for the PDP in Saturday elections so that PDP can maintain their traditional hold on the area. PDP is the traditional political party of the south south and south east. This should be maintained to ensure that the states are governed by the PDP and christian governors. That is a sure way to navigate through the tight political crucible which last Saturday presidential elections have forced Nigeria into. PDP is the hope of a better tomorrow for our people. The party had never at anytime contemplated a Muslim Muslim ticket. Our passionate appeal is for PDP to retain the confidence and support of the people in these regions so we can take our country from the army of occupation now in charge of affairs in Abuja”, Oyibode added.