By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
PORT HARCOURT- SOME leaders of South-South geo-political zone, weekend, lambasted Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, frontrunners for allegedly carrying out campaign of blackmail against Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Petroleum (State), Chief Timpre Sylva and Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The leaders under the auspices of South-South Front, SSF, led by Chief John Harry and Niger Delta People’s Movement, NDPM, steered by Mrs. Ibifuro Tatua, at separate meetings at Port-Harcourt and Abuja rose in defence of the ministers and NDDC.
READ ALSOKilling of Security Operatives in South East: Police arrest 16,recover 9 AK 47 rifles
SSF in a statement by Chief Harry said: “South-South National Vice Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih and his co-travelers have taken it upon themselves to carry out a campaign of blackmail against the person of Senator Godswill Akpabio’’
“PDP is a dying party, a fraternity of clowns. The party has been shown the way out of government at the national level and will never return to power again and they should stop dragging the name of Akpabo and Interim Administrator of NDDC in the mud,” he said.
The leaders underscored Buhari’s commitment and courage in pursuing issues of interest to the people of the Niger Delta region, saying: “President Muhammadu Buhari is a trustworthy and level-headed leader.’’
They praised Akpabio for promoting the interest of the Niger Delta people and attracting greater development to the oil rich region, noting: ‘’What is happening in the South-South geo-political zone mirrors a situation of desperation of PDP chieftains to take advantage of falsehood to misguide President Muhammadu Buhari and the good people of the Niger Delta region as well as score cheap political goals’’
Niger Delta Peoples Movement, NDPM, in a statement by Mrs. Tatua, after a meeting on the operational capacities of Nigeria’s refineries, Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, asserted: “It is ridiculous to play silly with the overhauling of the Port Harcourt Refinery. It is most unfair to rubbish the good intention of the Federal Government.”
‘’The announcement last week of $1.5billion funding to repair the Port Harcourt refinery is good news. No nation, race or ethnic group hates development, neither will she turn her back in this regard. The Niger Delta people are certainly not in opposition to the immediate rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery,” the leaders said.
‘’Timipre Sylva, a go-getter wants Nigeria to become an economically self-reliant nation. We express thanks to Mr. President for his decision to implement rehabilitation work on the Kaduna and Warri refineries on or before May 2023,” they said.
The leaders said Buhari and Sylva should not be intimidated by unintelligible assertions of critics, urging well-meaning Nigerians to support the present administration in transforming the oil sector.
The post S’South leaders chide Orbih, PDP for attacking Akpabio, Sylva, NDDC appeared first on Vanguard News.
This post was originally published on this site
