Governor Rotimi Amaechi will be treated like a traitor –Dokubo-Asari

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State

by Friday Olokor

Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, has described Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State as a traitor.

According to him, since the governor joined forces with the North to work against President Goodluck Jonathan, he has betrayed the people of the Niger Delta.

Dokubo-Asari, who spoke with journalists on Friday in Abuja, on Jonathan-Amaechi rift among other issues, said the 2015 general elections would “define and decide” the existence of Nigeria.

But the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, told The PUNCH that Dokubo-Asari was entitled to his opinion.

She said, “I am sure those are Asari-Dokubo’s views. It is a democracy and so everybody has a right to abuse; whether those views are right or wrong is irrelevant. I do not think that as a government, we will respond to that; there is nothing to respond to in his allegations.

“Dokubo-Asari has every right to his views. But whatever he wants to say, the veracity of it is a different matter.”

The ex-militant leader said, “Rotimi Amaechi has been making disparaging statements against the person of President Goodluck Jonathan. He went to Kano State and declared there that he would contest 2015 presidential election as a running mate to a northern aspirant. He is free to do so, but the South-South will not allow traitors among us.

“If Amaechi has singled himself out as a traitor, he will be treated as a traitor; there is nothing anybody can do about it. Now that we have come out of slavery, nobody can take us back into slavery, it is not possible.

“If they like, let them ‘settle him’ and Goodluck, but we, the people of the Niger Delta, will not ‘settle’ and allow a traitor in our midst.”

On the 2015 presidential election, Dokubo-Asari said no “gang up” against Jonathan would stand.

He said, “I want to say that there will be no peace, not only in the Niger Delta, but everywhere, if Goodluck Jonathan is not the president by 2015, except God takes his life, which we do not pray for.

“Jonathan has uninterrupted eight years of two terms to be president, according to the Nigeria constitution. We must have our uninterrupted eight years of two tenures. I am not in support of any amendment to the constitution that will reduce the eight years of two tenures that Jonathan is expected to be president of Nigeria.”

Culled from PUNCH