The ex-Niger Delta militant leaders, their representatives in alliance with a new think-tank of oil producing ethnic nationality of the region, also warned against rigging the general elections and the manipulation of results.

This is as they demand the immediate withdrawal of the Presidential candidates of the All progressives congress, Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and their running mates.

The former agitators under the aegis of Conference of Ex-militants for Niger Delta Industrial Rebirth made the declaration in a 10-point communique after what they termed a well-attended conference in Port Harcourt.

The groups include CENDIR, Oporoza House, Ijaw Leadership Stakeholders Working Group, the Movement for Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality of the Niger Delta, Ogoni Renaissance and Urhobo Progress Vanguard. Others are Edo Posterity Summit, Isoko Equity Agenda, Kalabari Vision Vanguard, Ndokwa Progress Roundtable, Ondo Akatapa Oil and Gas Watch, Niger Delta Coast Guards, Niger Delta Riverine Security Network and Niger Delta Congress.

The communique was signed by General Commander Tabu Obriki, Commander (Land and Sea) Abel Tariah, Mega Senior Prefect 1 Chief Long John Ebikaribo, High Chief Commander Solomon Oga, Marine Capt. R.S. Uduboh, Marine Capt. E.J. Dein, Marine Capt. E.G. Ebikeme and Marine Capt. M.N. Emberru. Others are Tonye Wokoma, for Oil Producing Ethnic Nationalities for Good Governance and Elder Timi Kaiser-Wilhelm Ogoriba.

They said the declaration was made in alliance with a new body of Niger Delta elders, leaders and, stakeholders known as Oil Producing Ethnic Nationalities for Good Governance, after what both bodies described as six months of painstaking and inclusive consultations since mid-September, 2022 across the seven Niger Delta states. Some of the highlights of the discussion were that the former Niger Delta militant leaders and their alliances said they have a vision of a new Niger Delta region and government of its member states that will no longer be run by guns but by brains.

They also desire a Niger Delta not run by politicians but by statesmen and nation-builders. We have a vision of a new Niger Delta governed by a breed of leaders who are forward-looking and think into the future for their people and posterity.

They said they had critically examined four candidates of the frontline political parties, including their manifesto before settling for Labour Party’s Peter Obi.

The communique reads in part, “Today, we the undersigned ex-militants of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, being of well-known public identity, in full alliance with our elder statesmen and leaders of the Oil Producing Ethnic Nationalities for Good Governance.

“The glaring and crystal plain conclusion was reached that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has the highest governance intelligence quotient, creative industrial competence, resourceful innate integrity, compassionate potentialities and propensity to decisively implement practical solutions to the well documented myriads of leadership failure, epic environmental degradation and traumatic corruption which have impeded real development of our Niger Delta region for too long .

“Having come to that unanimous and unequivocal conclusion, we hereby passionately appeal to every ex-militant, youth, women group and leadership of ethnic nationalities of the region to come to terms with the rationales we have given above .

“Accordingly, we ask you to join us deliver every scrap of ballot paper that arrives the soil, shores, creeks, cities, towns, camps and hamlets of our Niger Delta region for Mr. Peter Obi and his amiable running mate, Sen. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, as the next President and Vice President of Nigeria come February 25, 2023 .

“While we acknowledge that the Nigerian constitution gives every citizen of voting age the franchise to vote the candidates of their choice, we cannot pretend to understand and applaud those few rebels, and renegades for sale among Niger Delta ex-militants, youth groups, ethnic nationality leaders, traditional rulers and sundry citizens who have shamelessly endorsed and claim to align with the presidential candidates of PDP & APC at this critical time.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state without reservation that Atiku Abubakar have found a like-minded traitor in the visionless governor of Delta state, Mr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, has demonstrated to all peoples of Southern Nigeria,his historic contempt for all southerners and political arrogance by breaking faith with the moral principle of North-South power rotation. An unwritten political code of conduct which has been in place for 24 years for the immaculate purpose of equity, sense of equality and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians of our two coordinate hemispheres.

“Their only remedy is to summon the courage to withdraw from the presidential race within the few hours remaining to the polls of February 25 and in so doing make the epic history, of turning from villains to heroes at the nick of time. The choice is theirs.”