Ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, yesterday met with former top commanders of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), from Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states, in Asaba, reports Vanguard.
“The meeting was convened by Tompolo to deliberate with his former colleagues on next month’s presidential election as it affects President Goodluck Jonathan, who is an Ijaw indigene,” the news platform quoted a dependable source as saying.
“They also reviewed the support of the nonoperational MEND for the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and agreed on ways to mobilise ex-agitators in the region for the PDP presidential candidate.”
“It is a top-secret meeting. I cannot tell you more than that. I am even surprised how you got to know about the meeting,” the source was quoted to have said.
Tompolo, like several other ex-militants, has been a staunch supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan. However, recent reports that MEND has declared support for the APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari came as shock to several ex-militant leaders, who have been working for Jonathan’s re-election. The meeting therefore became pertinent to know where Jonathan stands in terms of support from his supposed kinsmen and how to mobilize more support for the Ijaw man.
