By Abiola Olawale
A former militant in the Niger Delta who identifies himself as Eshanekpe Israel, also known as Akpodoro, has criticised the leader of the defunct Niger Delta Volunteer Force, NDVF, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, for declaring that he will not support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 General election.
Akpodoro, who spoke with the press, said while Dokubo is entitled to his opinion, he only speaks for himself and not for the entire Niger Delta region.
According to Akpodoro, the people of the Niger Delta region are satisfied with the socio-economic evolution pervading the entire region in the form of human and material development under the current administration saying, the realities are far cries from the immediate past when the people were deep in poverty and despondency.
He said: “The President Tinubu-led administration has been fair to all sections of the country in his bid to build an equitable political system including empowering the next generation of Nigerians to take the mantle of leadership when their time comes.
“It is mischievous for anyone to expect President Tinubu to patronise him at the detriment of the development and growth. He appointed a technocrat, Dr Dennis Otuaro, as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP;…”
He also urged Dokubo to wait for 2027 to align with whoever he so wishes while others will file behind President Tinubu, a southerner and the one with the Midas touch for a new Nigeria.
This comes after Dokubo had accused Tinubu of betraying him after working for his emergence as the Nigerian president in the 2023 elections.
Dokubo, in a viral video on social media, claimed that he spent money canvassing for votes for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, only to be abandoned.
He, however, vowed to form an alliance with the northern region and dump Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.