With 10 days to the presidential elections, militant group, Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, RNDA, and its nine groups, on Wednesday, declared that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar and his Vice Presidential candidate, Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, are their preferred choice.
The RNDA and its nine groups in the Niger Delta region made the declaration at an emergency meeting conveyed by the group General Commanding Officer, self-styled Major Gen Johnmark Ezon-Ebi, (AKA OBAMA) along with the leadership of the other Nine militant groups that make up the RNDA in the deep creeks of Delta State.
Ezon-Ebi said, the region has remained backward and nothing much added as value to the impoverished people of the region, which gave rise to serious arms struggle to ensure the voice of the people are heard and attention of the federal government is drawn to the precarious plight of the people.
He added that with just some few days to the general elections, the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, RNDA, with its Nine Militant Groups came together for an emergency meeting, where all things happening in the Niger Delta region were assessed and analysed from the beginning to where the region is, in terms of human capacity development and infrastructure that boost commerce and industry, peace and security, with justice, equity and fairness, therefore realized that the region is still far behind despite the leadership of the RNDA with the coalition of Nine Militant groups’ agreement to have a ceasefire with the federal government on 21st of August 2016, which brought about dialogue with elders, stakeholders and traditional rulers from the region for peace talk with the federal government.
The RNDA also recalled how the bombings led to devastation and destruction of oil facilities belonging to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the region stopped.
According to the group, as a result of the ceasefire agreement with the Buhari-led administration and RNDA, Nigeria’s crude oil production output rose from 900,000 barrels per day to 1.1 million barrels per day, and that seriously helped Nigeria to come out of biting economic recession experienced in 2016, global oil price was at the sum of $40 dollar to a barrel.
He said: “The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, RNDA, with the coalition of Nine Militant groups that entered into ceasefire agreement with the federal government on the 21st of August 2016, that led to the dialogue process with elders, stakeholders and traditional rulers from the region in order to channel a peace talk with the federal government, which vehemently led to the halt of destruction of oil facilities and stop the attacking and bombing of major NNPC pipelines that led to the increase of crude oil production 900,000 barrels per day to 1.2 million barrels daily then. This singular patriotic action by the RNDA, contributed to the country to come out of the 2026 recession when the global oil price was at the sum of $35 to $40 dollar per barrel.
“Having critically examined the situation in the Niger Delta region from insecurity to infrastructural development we have seen that there is no value added to the lives of the people as a lot of issues still negatively impact the lives and environment of the region.
“We demand drastic action and change of the narrative as we will not accept any form of neglect and exploitation, and if this is not done we will have no option left than to return with unusual hostilities that would ground the entire economy, if we fold our arms and allow this so called inhuman people’s dehumanizing devilish unpatriotic party called APC, that dose not have any single sincerity for the common ordinary Nigerians to rule us again any more, and we labelled any vote to TINUBU and APC as a vote of death trap, more suffering and more economic hardship to Nigerians and that would not be allowed to take place under our eyes in the creek.
“Now we have openly declared and announced our endorsement and full support as our preferred choice ahead of the presidential election on February 25, 2023, we are already on ground mobilizing the entire Niger Delta region in the creek to ensure we actualize the ATIKU/OKOWA Presidency”.