By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan has called on the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) not to place any stock on his endorsement by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), saying that the people of Niger Delta and other Nigerians are solidly behind the present administration.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, Jonathan said the Jomo Gbomo that issued statement endorsing General Buhari on behalf of MEND was faceless.
The statement reads in part: “We have noted with amusement, the vituperations against President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by the renegade faction of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) headed by the convicted terrorist, Henry Okah in a statement issued to endorse the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
“While we thank all people of the Niger Delta, including the former militants whom MEND claims to represent who have already disassociated themselves from the statement issued by the faceless Jomo Gbomo and reaffirmed their unflinching support for President Jonathan’s re-election, we will like to state that the latest assault on the President by Henry Okah and his stooges did not come as a surprise to us at all.
“It was very much to be expected, coming as it did from an individual and group who have never hidden their vengeful personal animosity against the President and who have even gone to the extent of launching murderous assaults on venues at which the President was present on two occasions.
“It is most regrettable indeed that rather than show remorse for the terrorist acts against his fatherland for which he is now rightly serving a term of imprisonment in South Africa, Henry Okah continues to pursue a pointless personal vendetta against President Jonathan who continues to advance and protect the interests of the people of the Niger Delta which Okah and his group threatened with their misguided actions.
“The vituperations against President Jonathan in the MEND statement endorsing General Buhari are mischievous, baseless and deliberately styled to denigrate the good works of the President.
“ The attempt by Jomo Gbomo’s MEND to rewrite history by tarnishing the person of President Jonathan for selfish, pecuniary and political gains will amount to an exercise in futility.
local hunter, were feared killed in a road side bomb explosion at the Maraba–Mubi. The area is about 18 kilometres from Mubi town.