We have keenly watched and read about recent moves by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo A.K.A. Tompolo, assisted by some self styled Itsekiri political leaders to woo some Itsekiri leaders and members of the respected Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILOT on the need to throw their weight behind President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s re-election bid.
In as much as we believe Tompolo has the constitutional right to campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa/Kingsley Otuaro, his Cousin, we want to assure Tompolo that his voyage is set to hit the rock, particularly on Jonathan’s re-election bid, unless he puts the following politically damaging records straight:
* Why did Tompolo lead the killing of hundreds of Itsekiris during the Warri crisis and forcefully took over Itsekiri God-given communities without any remorse or apology till date?
*Without prejudice to party or personality of Itsekiri candidate (s) for Warri South-West Chairmanship in the October 25, 2014 Local Government poll, why did Tompolo with the backing of the Presidency threatened and hoodwink Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan into handing the Chairmanship of Warri South-West to his sibling, Hon. George Ekpemupolo 48 hours to the election against the gentleman agreement of single tenure rotation between Ijaw and Itsekiri in the Local Government? Maybe Chief Thomas Ereyitomi’s controversial explanation of “ improvement in the single tenure rotational agreement” by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan which we are hearing for the first time is a fallout of Tompolo’s unholy political romance with some self seeking Itsekiri leaders.
*Tompolo has to seriously explain why he and his Gbaramatu brothers are laying claim to lands belonging to Itsekiri (Omadino and Ugborodo Communities) particularly the area where the EPZ is situated and till date, despite claiming not to be waging war against Itsekiri people, he is obviously not willing and ready to publicly concede that 90% of the land hosting the EPZ belongs to the Itsekiri people of Delta State.
*Tompolo is yet to tender apology to the 14 abducted Journalists, including a Channels TV Camera man, Itsekiri born Senior Correspondent of Daily Independent Newspaper, Mr. Emma Arubi and six Ugborodo indigenes, who were humiliated as well as tortured almost to the point of death by his militants on his order on their way from Escravos, where they went to perform their legitimate duty of letting the world know the Itsekiri angle of the true owner of the land hosting the EPZ.
*We also want High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo to publicly tell the world, indeed the eligible voters of Itsekiri extraction who are well over 400,000, why he and his Gbaramatu kinsmen “twice stopped President Goodluck Jonathan” from performing the Ground Breaking Ceremony of Ogidigben EPZ cum Delta Gas City, over a non-existent security threat, for a project having the capacity of engaging millions of Nigerians at a time when the Nation’s economy is in the doldrums?
*We must also stress that Tompolo’s belated voyage of trying to lobby some Itsekiri leaders and the respected Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILOT to get Itsekiri votes for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in the February 14, 2015 polls and his imposed Cousin/running mate (Kingsley Otuaro)to Delta State PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, is certainly not enough to convince the smart Itsekiri voting public from dumping the APC Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Mandate that has assured Itsekiri people of peace as well as more re-assuring sense of belonging in the Nigerian project. After all, the Jonathan administration has not only succeeded in truncating the Senatorial ambition of his loyal Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan in favour of the fourth term seeking James Manager, but has ultimately reduced the Itsekiri ethnic Nationality to absolute political irrelevance with a seeming political doom, the General Buhari administration is poised to address.
*Perhaps Tompolo may have given some explanation to Itsekiri leaders he has so far visited, with the backing of some self-seeking political representatives/appointees, he still has the burden of telling the ordinary Itsekiri man/woman, who has the voting power why his kinsman, Senator James Manager will be seeking a fourth term in the Senate against the single tenure rotational agreement between Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko of Delta South?
*Tompolo should also be magnanimous enough to tell the average Itsekiri man, why he connived with the Presidency to unjustifiably remove a credible and vastly experienced Itsekiri son, Barr. Temisan Omatseye as Director General of NIMASA, only for the Presidency to replace him with an Ijaw man, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, Personal Assistant to Tompolo to pave the way for Tompolo’s enrichment of himself as well as security might.
*We will also like to use this medium to clarity comments credited to Chief Thomas Ereyitomi in the Vanguard Newspaper of Saturday January 17, 2015 on the Deep Sea Port of the EPZ situated in Kpokpo, Ugborodo. There is nothing like Gbaramatu area in Ugborodo, where the EPZ is located and Chief Ereyitomi’s statement that Ugborodo people (i.e the Itsekiris) “will not allow the Deep Sea Port to be entirely named after Gbaramatu” is most unacceptable and a clear testimony of soft-landing by Tompolo’s new Itsekiri friends who appear unruffled in their quest to concede their Father Land to Gbaramatu in the name of peace”. It must be stated emphatically that Itsekiri people will not concede any jot of our land for political reason.
CONCLUSION
High Chief Government Ekpemupolo A.K.A. Tompolo, the “ex-militant” cum “political Godfather of Delta State”, nay Niger Delta, certainly has a herculean task to woo Itsekiri, Urhobos , Isokos and other tribes in the Niger Delta to change their minds, because the obvious mandate by majority of Nigerians, especially Niger Delta ethnic Nationalities, is to vote General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) of the APC enmasse come February 14, 2015 so as to save Nigeria from imminent economic, security and power (electricity) collapse.
We are watching with our eyes, ears and sensitivity widely alert as we work tirelessly towards the election of General Muhammadu Buhari.
Long live Delta State!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Signed
Oritsegbegbemi Besidone Franklin Metsese
Chairman PRO
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