PORT hARCOURT—KALABARI stakeholders have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore alleged statement of Governor Rotimi Amaechi that the President disliked the Kalabaris, saying it was a case of the charcoal calling the kettle black.

They spoke when the Minister of Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, and his political associates gathered at the Kingdom to thank them and award undergraduate scholarships to 153 indigent university students.

The minister had used the occasion to catalogue the President’s projects, love and plans for the kingdom and showered encomiums on him for his uncommon transformation agenda for Nigeria in general, Rivers State and the Kalabari Kingdom in particular.

He urged the people, “to continue to support their fellow Ijaw man, President GoodLuck Jonathan, who is their son, brother and in-law; their sister and wife of the President Dame Dr. Patience Jonathan, the Minister of State for Education,   Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. “

In their response, the Kalabari Stakeholders from all the 33 communities/towns who spoke through Chief Hon. David Briggs (First Executive Chairman of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, and two time commissioner in Rivers State); Chief E.S. Lawson (1st sole administrator of Akuku Toru Local Government Area), Chief Precious Elekima, Opakrite Jackcrece (former Executive Chairman of Asri-Toru LGA-1999); Pleasant Braide (former Executive Chairman of Degema LGA-1999), Mrs. Daizy West (former member Rivers State House of Assembly-1991), among others, thanked President Jonathan for his love for the Kalabaris and appointment of one of them, Dr. Danagogo, as minister.

They promised to support President Jonathan and the PDP through thick and thin in the LGAs, State and National Levels, urging President Jonathan to “ignore the ranting of the governor.”

The group said: “They are aware that after their meeting with President Jonathan, he directed the boundary commission to proceed immediately to demarcate the boundary but upon their arrival the governor disallowed them insisting that Rivers State must be paid her claims from 2004 till date before they will go to the field; knowing that it is impossible to make any payment without first demarcating the boundary.

“The Governor should know that Kalabari people are aware that he did that to perpetuate the boundary dispute, so as to further alienate the Kalabaris from their kinsman, the President and to score cheap and shameless political points.”