Dokubo-Asari’s Threat Of War Over 2015 Not An Act Of Treasonable Felony – IYC

The leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has condemned calls for the arrest of its former president, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari over his recent comment that there would be no peace in Nigeria if President Goodluck Jonathan was not re-elected in 2015, adding that the statement was not an act of treasonable felony.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by its National President, Mr Miabiye Kuromiema, the IYC said that the council and the entire people of Niger Delta welcome the call for Dokubo-Asari’s arrest, but warned that youths from the region had indicated their readiness to go with him anywhere he is taken to.

The statement reads in part: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state unequivocally that the position of Alhaji Dokubo-Asari is not in any way inimical to the stability of Nigeria, nor is it an act of treasonable felony but a modest appreciation of the likely fall-out of the Aso Rock politics in 2015.

“The IYC supports, gains inspiration and will continue to toe the same path on this national question as it affects the Ijaw Nation, the Niger Delta, the Middle Belt and our associates in Yorubaland and Far North on the rights of President Goodluck Jonathan to seek re-election in 2015.”

IYC stressed that “President Jonathan remains the tread that holds together a deeply divided nation; the flow of resource from our region to run the country, streams of policies that are stabilising and attracting investors’ confidence without precedence in the nation’s history. This he continues to do in his unusual calm but courageous, process-led and systematic surgery to build a diversified economy to support productive growth and right the legacy of consumerist-oriented and reckless leadership of the past five decades that has left us with a culture of consumerisms, corruption, putrid institutions and now outpouring violence against ordinary Nigerians for which they now blackmail him with incompetence, cluelessness and weakness to instigate and deceive ordinary Nigerian with less critical and historic sense of presence of mind.”

Speaking further, the IYC said, “Dokubo-Asari, a son of Ijaw Nation and Niger Delta, whose right of expression is clearly and completely guaranteed by International Human Rights norms and consistent with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution decreed into effect by military leaders from the north.

“As former IYC Leader, Dokubo-Asari has deep understanding of the aspirations, grievances and desire for the overall political self-determination, and sustainable development of Nigeria’s nations and its people. He also understands that our region continues to bankroll the Nigerian political economic enterprise over five decades but with resultant despoliation of our environment, destruction of our values and social support systems with political impunity and reckless maiming and killing of our people.

“He is aware that current federal structure and constitution are deliberately foisted on us all to the particular disadvantage of the masses of Nigeria and have constrained the progressive development of minority nations and ordinary masses of Nigeria, making the National Assembly a usurper of people’s sovereignty.

“He is also aware that 90% of the supposed amnesty agreement remains unimplemented particularly where it pertains to the issues around the environment, infrastructure, equity participation in oil and gas investment through the Yar’Adua’s model of the PIB, Human Capital development proposal, etc.”