The President of the defunct Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujahedeen Asari- Dokubo, once again took a swipe at President Goodluck Jonathan, stating that the Nigerian leader is a disappointment to the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
The ex-militant commander, who was reacting to the latest crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which has led to the factionalisation of the ruling party, lamented that Jonathan could not take bold and courageous steps to tame the dissidents.
Asari-Dokubo, who spoke in a telephone interview with our correspondent, regretted that Jonathan could not act like a typical Ijaw man, who is famous for boldness and exceptional courage.
He asked the President to be guided by an Ijaw famous saying, “Ama Doko Doko Biokpo,” which he interpreted to mean “small, small towns but they are very courageous and keep hope alive.”
Asari-Dokubo said he was unimpressed by “what he called poor response” to the crisis rocking the PDP by the Presidency and advised Jonathan to emulate former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who confronted and dealt with the dissidents in the party during his tenure.
He recalled how Obasanjo allegedly wielded power to quench the insurgency led by a former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori, within the PDP, against his re-election in 2003.
To this end, he asked Jonathan to stop further peace talks and negotiation with the dissident governors and their collaborators, including Obasanjo and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
He said Jonathan only needed to sit up and demonstrate uncommon courage to subdue his political enemies, adding that the crisis was orchestrated to frustrate his second term ambition.
Asari-Dokubo decried the recent statement credited to Abubakar Gumi that the killings in the North would stop as soon as Jonathan renounced his second term bid, adding that the cleric and his co-travellers were cashing in on the weakness of the President.
He nonetheless expressed the conviction that the plot against Jonathan would fail.
He said: “Jonathan is disgracing the Ijaw people and people of the South-South by negotiating with these dissidents. I am terribly annoyed by the way he is handling this issue, he is a disgrace. If he cannot withstand them he should tell us because there is no basis for negotiation.
“This is the time for Jonathan to act like an Ijaw man and he should stop disgracing us.
“Jonathan should hit them and he should tell us if he cannot hit them so that we can help him to hit them mercilessly. I have the potential to hit them hard. It is on record that I once held Nigeria hostage and Nigeria could not produce oil for 48 hours and my activities forced the prices of crude oil globally to rise by $30 one day. It was unprecedented and I can repeat it.
“The plot against Jonathan will surely fail but the President should be decisive with these people once and for all. Jonathan should assert himself as President and put these people where they should be. Obasanjo, who is leading these people did two terms and he plotted a third term.
“There should be no negotiation with dissidents. It should be total war, no retreat, no surrender and let us see who will run first. There is time for peace and there is time for war. This is the time to go into war.
“Jonathan should know that this is the time for war and if he cannot sustain the war, we will help him to sustain it. How many governors attempted to frustrate Obasanjo? Ibori and others were united behind Atiku Abubakar to frustrate Obasanjo and they failed because Obasanjo was strong, assertive, decisive and courageous.
“Jonathan should be strong to deal with them but whether he is strong or not, we are ready to support and stand by him. It is not a one-man battle but a total war and they must be totally vanquished.”
Besides, Asari-Dokubo asked Jonathan to hand over the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, to the ex-fighters in the Niger Delta for a decisive action.
On Amaechi, he said, “Let the security men step aside and let us see how Amaechi can come to Rivers State. Amaechi should not be protected because he has betrayed the collective interest of the Niger Delta.
“Jonathan should be decisive and look at the other way and allow us to stand on the streets for 24 hours and we will see whether this madness by Amaechi will not end.”
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