Former Bayelsa State Governor, Dipriye Alamieyeseigha, has debunked reports linking him with the Niger Delta conflict, describing them as the hand work of mischief makers.
“How could I be in the throes of death and still sponsor illegality and lawlessness?” he wondered in a statement he personally signed on Monday.
Alamieyeseigha, in detention, is facing court charges on money laundering.
He is currently on admission at Barnes Cardiac Centre in Lagos.
He asked whether Nigerians have forgotten, so soon, how he contained youth restiveness in the region for over six years until he was impeached last year.
He denied the rumour that he is behind some governorship aspirants in Bayelsa.
“Ever since fate brought me to my present state”, he narrated, “I have had sufficient time to ponder on this journey called life.
“The latter day events of my life affords us all an opportunity to learn that it is only Almighty Jehovah that has the final say in the affairs of man. It is to Him we must give all the glory and praise, taking counsel in the knowledge that He is the all-wise God.
“I am eternally grateful for the life I have had. And knowing that the future belongs to Him and Him alone, I am at peace with myself. I thank all Nigerians, who, no doubt, have keenly followed the Alamieyeseigha story. And to them I say, whatever point of view you take does not matter.
“What matters is that you are patriots committed to a greater, better Nigeria. My only plea to you is that when I am finally in a position to tell my own story, unburdened by these fetters, you will listen with the same attention you gave to the accounts of others.”
Alamieyeseigha said he remains committed to Nigeria, both as a fundamental idea and as a fact of life, and urged all compatriots to “remain loyal to this great country, including those, like me � who, today, for a multiplicity of reasons � sojourn in the valley of the shadow of death.”
He said he is trapped on a hospital bed over cardiac problems, without the ability to be the master of his own destiny.
“As I lie here, I am unable to meet the expensive legal bills foisted on me by the many strategies of those who prosecute me. My medical bills are piling, and as each day passes, I wonder who is going to pay � the EFCC or me? If I am going to pay, then I am truly in trouble!
“Why do I need to sponsor violence? Am I not the one, who, leading patriots and like minds, intervened over and over again in the Niger Delta crisis, until we were able to secure an armistice with these same militants? While in office, did we not guarantee the safety of oil workers and installations for six and a half years?
“How many times did I personally intervene in hostage situations, and win victory for the cause of peace and progress? Can any one quantify the tremendous personal sacrifice we had to make to ensure that the anger of our youths was reined in, to guarantee and sustain the peace we had for six and a half years?”
The allegations would have been laughable if they were not so grave, Alamieyeseigha stressed.
“How can I be held responsible for the swirling anger of the people of the Niger Delta, which, since the days of Isaac Boro, has found expression in actions such as we see today? What is going on today only places in bold relief the yeoman�s job we did in office to guarantee the peace?
“Were we not all witnesses to statements of a leader of one of the militant groups endorsing my impeachment and ensuing public flagellation? Sponsoring militants indeed!”