TWO years to the 2011 general elections, rigging strategies allegedly being put in place by some politicians have put the Action Congress (AC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the warpath.
The AC, which fired the first shot, said it was lamentable that a ruling party in Nigeria could descend to the level of enlisting the support of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to the rig the 2011 elections.
In its counter-attack, the PDP said it was another plot by the opposition party to mislead Nigerians. It said as a responsible party, it could not go the level of soliciting the help of a militant group for an election it stood a better chance to win whenever the race began.
MEND had claimed it had a secret meeting with some PDP chieftains, where it was made some plum offers to assist the party win the 2011 general elections in the Niger Delta.
In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, AC said the alleged plans confirmed “our fears that unscrupulous politicians are behind the wave of violence in the Niger Delta, which has been costing Nigeria dearly in human and financial resources.”
Mohammed wrote: “We commend MEND for rejecting the proposal for them to be used to sabotage the people’s right to free expression – that they are not campaigning for cheap and individual gains but to ensure better life for their impoverished people. Of course, we may not always agree with their style.
“We ask the group to go a step further by revealing the identity of those involved in the secret meeting so that Nigerians will know who their real enemies are. Needless to say that such people are the real candidates for treason charges, not minding that they are the ones accusing opposition parties of holding clandestine meetings.
“It is also important for Nigerians to know those who will condemn MEND by day and seek to enlist them for their dirty jobs by night; to show the dangerous strategy of the PDP-led Federal Government in exposing the lives of our soldiers to a great risk in the Niger Delta, even when an under-the-table effort is being made, allegedly by the same ruling party, to sabotage the gallant efforts of these soldiers.”
But the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Alkali said: “I want to state categorically that no member of our party held any such meeting with MEND. The party at no time sent any team to have discussion on any subject matter, not to talk of 2011 elections.
“We want to believe that this is part of the plots by our opponents to mislead Nigerians and it should be disregarded.
“The PDP is a dynamic and democratic party. We know that Nigerians will continue to vote for us and we will continue to give purposeful leadership like President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is doing and we will refuse to be distracted.
He said the amnesty extended to the militants by the President is in good faith and should not be misconstrued by the opposition.
Alkali said Yar’Adua is a kind-hearted man and believes in the unity and progress of Nigeria and feels that all its parts must be at peace for national development.
“So, for purpose of emphasis, there was no meeting between PDP and MEND and there was no discussion of any kind on the issues raised by MEND. We are a law-abiding party and will continue to deliver democracy dividends to Nigerians.”
But, the AC insisted that the modus operandi of the devilish politicians involved arming thugs to help them rig elections, after which they would dump them. Such thugs then use the arms bought for them by the politicians to terrorize the polity, resulting in mindless criminal acts such as kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities.
Mohammed expressed shock that “the PDP could talk to the militants not for the purpose of ensuring the restoration of peace in the Niger Delta but for the purpose of further disturbing the peace of the region and sabotaging the nation’s democracy, all because of its do-or-die politics.”
MEND) said yesterday that it had turned down an offer by some politicians to embrace the Yar’Adua’s amnesty gesture and be rewarded with lucrative oil and gas contracts.
Its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, said some representatives of the PDP held a secret meeting with commanders of the group yesterday and proposed a robust monetary and amnesty incentive if the group promised to assist the party secure the 2011 governorship election in the Niger Delta region.
Under the plan, Gbomo said the politicians wanted MEND to embrace the amnesty offer and demobilize but return a limited number of weapons under a buy-back programme, which would be advertised to give the public the impression it has disarmed 100 per cent.
He also claimed that it was proposed that the group’s detained leader, Henry Okah and the other freedom fighters would be released and MEND would get monthly agreed financial payments into the next 2011 administration as security consultants including lucrative oil and gas contracts.
Gbomo said: “The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta rejects this evil agenda by the PDP and its cohorts and vow never to sell our birth right for a bowl of porridge. MEND will not involve itself in political thuggery and compromise its core values for short-term gains. Our focus remains the emancipation of the impoverished people of the region through the control of our resources and fiscal federalism.”
“We have resolved to suffer persecution and imprisonment for the sake of justice and reiterate once again our position to only embrace a peace process that involves the United Nations (UN), a free Henry Okah and reputable international mediators.”