Arising from an emergency meeting convened in the wake of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s private visit to the Olu of Warri and Warri Council of Chiefs Friday January 23, a political pressure group, Delta Coalition for Change, DCC has declared that it will not be swayed by reports that President Jonathan promised members of the Warri Council of Chiefs that he will perform the Ground Breaking Ceremony of Ogidigben EPZ before the end of Uduaghan’s tenure.
The DCC in a statement issued in Warri by its President, Young Piero stated that it is not convinced by statements ascribed to President Jonathan, where he explained that the twice postponement of the EPZ Ground Breaking has nothing to do with threats by Tompolo and his Gbaramatu kinsmen.
According to the group, Mr. President’s position is not in tandem with the earlier explanation of the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani K. Alison-Madueke who hinged the reason for the second postponement of the EPZ Ground Breaking Ceremony on “communal issues,” insisting that the media war that has since trailed the claims of the EPZ land ownership “is evident for all to see”.
The statement added that there was no reason why the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the EPZ is yet to be done when those of NIMASA Dockyard and Shipyard as well as Nigeria Maritime University, NMU “which has large Ijaw interests despite being National projects were successfully performed”.
The Itsekiri political pressure group also noted that the only logical thing for President Goodluck Jonathan to do is to “seize the opportunity of his planned campaign visit to Warri February 4 to perform the EPZ Ground Breaking if there is no obvious Ijaw agenda”.
The DCC wondered why despite the obvious support President Goodluck Jonathan enjoys from the Itsekiri born CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, he appears to “be foot-dragging on issues directly affecting Itsekiris and other tribes in the Niger Delta”, stressing that if the EPZ Ground Breaking Ceremony is not performed before February 14, “Itsekiri will vote for General Muhammadu Buhari in the February 14 polls”.
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