By Emma Amaize

ASABA—LEADERS of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, have resolved to seek audience with the Federal Government and relevant security agencies over the October 26 disruption of their fourth general assembly in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by the Police and Department of State Services, DSS.

The Forum, led by former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, had in a communiqué, last Thursday, urged the Federal Government to explain why it sent security agents to interrupt a meeting of Niger Delta elders, but six days after the demand, government did not respond.

The move to dialogue with the Federal Government came as a militant group, the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, RNDA, yesterday, commended the Federal Government for purportedly truncating further discussions with PANDEF.

PANDEF leader in Rivers State, former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas and another top leader, HRH Anabs Sara-Igbe, confirmed the plan by regional group to meet the Federal Government.

Vanguard gathered that leaders of the group battled to avert the disruption of their fourth assembly by making frantic calls to the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Interior,                                                            Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello  Dambazau (retd) and top officials of the DSS, but to no avail.

Graham-Douglas

Alabo Graham-Douglas, who spoke to our reporter on phone, said: “I am still overwhelmed by the whole drama, I am not casting aspersion on anybody, when things like this happen, you want to be able to find out what happened and look at the various sides.

“I am not blaming anybody but we are still going to find out from the governor of Rivers state and the Presidency what actually happened.”

The PANDEF leader said the group was not set up to antagonize government, but assist it bring development to the Niger Delta and in so doing, moderate the temper of the youths of the region, who took to arms to draw government’s attention to the plight of the region.

The former minister noted, “I do not see any area of doubt between the Federal Government and PANDEF. The body is non-partisan.”

HRH Sara-Igbe, who also confirmed that PANDEF would seek audience with the Federal Government on the disruption of its meeting, said: “On the 25th  of October, the DSS invited us, we went there, they told us that the governor of Rivers state was not happy with our hosting the meeting. That he wanted to host it in November.”

He said a message came thereafter that the management of Hotel Presidential was invited and asked to cancel any arrangement with PANDEF for a meeting, and a senior official of PANDEF, Dr Godknows Igali, went to meet with the DSS.

HRH Sara-Igbe, who disclosed that PANDEF officially applied for security to the Police and DSS, said the police actually granted its request and provided police officers, who were already on ground before the orders from above to abort the meeting.

His words: “Our leader, Chief Edwin Clark called the Director of Operations in Abuja, who told told him that he was not aware of the development and would look into it and call him in the morning. He also called the Minister of Interior, Dambazau, who I think was outside the country then. Later, he called the office of the Vice President, it was late then, between  12.00 am and 2.00  and he was told that he had closed.”

The PANDEF leader told Vanguard: “We cannot say for now that it was the handiwork of the federal government, DSS did not say it was the federal government that sent them, they pointed at the governor of the state, who we were told is outside the country and has not spoken yet.”

RNDA lauds FG

Meanwhile, a militant group, RNDA, has praised the Federal Government for allegedly truncating further discussions with PANDEF after militants withdrew their mandate from the regional body.

However, there was no announcement by the Federal Government that it has ceased negotiation with PANDEF, except the October 26 disruption of the fourth assembly of the group by security operatives.

Leader of RNDA, self-styled “General” Johnmark Ezonbi, in a statement, said: “We sincerely thank the Presidency for not entering into further discussions with PANDEF after the mandate given to them by militants and stakeholders was withdrawn.

“We thank security agencies for aborting the planned meeting of PANDEF in Port Harcourt because if not stopped, it would have created serious tension in the region because PANDEF is no longer recognized as it does not enjoy the blessing and support of the people any longer.”