Leaders of the Niger Delta, under
the auspices of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, have condemned the action of
security operatives during their meeting in Port Harcourt.
Operatives of the Nigerian Police
Force took over the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, venue for
the planned Chief Edwin Clark-led PANDEF, fourth quarter general meeting.
Heavily armed, fierce looking
policemen barricaded the entrance to the venue, stopping visitors from
accessing the hotel.
Meanwhile, PANDEF in a communique
signed by Chief Edwin Clark, the General Assembly, said it noted with concern
“the unwarranted disruption of the meeting, including the cordoning-off of
Hotel Presidential by an unprecedented deployment of security personnel from
the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force.
“Therefore, the meeting was
unable to fully discuss other issues, which, consistent with the PANDEF
mission, includes amongst others, ‘Fostering peaceful coexistence, inter ethnic
harmony and understanding, as well as the use of lawful and nonviolent means
for justice and equity for ourselves and our progeny and the struggle for
fairness, justice, and, to promote good governance, development and welfare of our
people’
“The General Assembly further
calls on the federal government to offer an explanation on this show of
hostility mounted against the elders and leaders of the region, which PANDEF
represents.
“The General Assembly considers
the attempts by agencies of the Federal Government to forcefully stop such a
high level gathering of leaders of the Niger Delta region as totally
unacceptable and a very disturbing precedent in our democratic evolution and
flagrant denigration of our constitutional guarantees on the right of peaceful
assembly and free movement.
“This is more disturbing when it
is known that meetings of this nature by leaders of other geo-political zones
such as AREWA Consultative forum, Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo and the likes have
never in the history of the country been subjected to such humiliation and show
of high-handedness.
“Furthermore, the General
Assembly considers the action of the FG as insensitive.”
The meeting had in attendance
over 200 delegates comprising of key traditional rulers, leaders of thoughts,
the academia, youth groups, women groups, and other critical stakeholders from
all the states of the region.
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