Niger Delta Leaders Withdraw Nov 1 Ultimatum Issued To FG

Leaders of the Niger Delta region under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF), on Thursday night, withdrew the November 1 ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to implement its 16-point agenda.

This was announced by an elder statesman, Edwin Clark, shortly after he led PANDEF to a meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa Abuja.

Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Clark said that the discussion with Osinbajo was “very honest, truthful and forthright. We are very very satisfied”.

He revealed that the group have agreed to maintain peace, adding that both the Niger Delta region and the government also agreed to dialogue.

He said that the meeting was well attended by several leaders from the Niger Delta region including members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, who were at the forefront of agitations from the region in recent years.

He said, “there is no more ultimatum. We agreed on many things. They came with their own address, the ministers all spoke, presented their cases and at the end, the Acting President rounded it up.

“We saw his genuineness and forthrightness; he is a gentleman. We are satisfied. We have agreed to work together and the issue of dialogue must take place,” he said.

Clark said the people of Niger Delta should know that their leaders were able to discuss the regions’ 16-point agenda as well as “government’s 20-point agenda and we are all satisfied. We all agreed that everyone should maintain peace.

“MEND was in the meeting. Jomo Gbomo does not exist as a human being, he uses a ghost Name, a fake name. Other organizations were here. I am the leader of the Niger Delta and every leader you can think of from Cross River to Ondo State were all here today,” Clark said.