HeadlineMEND Makes U-Turn Over Clark

MEND Makes U-Turn Over Clark

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BEVERLY HILLS, AUGUST 26, (THEWILL) – The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has accepted that Chief Edwin Clark, a former Federal Commissioner for Information, should head the group from the South-South that will dialogue with the Federal Government.

This was disclosed on Friday Timipa Okponipere, Secretary of MEND’s Aaron Team 2, in a meeting with the elder statesman‎ in Warri, adding that the group was to disband its Aaron Team 2, ‎headed by Odein Ajumogobia and work with Chief Clark.

Responding, Clark commended the group for accepting the outcome of the meeting of Niger Delta monarchs, leaders and stakeholders, last Friday, in Warri, said that leaders of the region would appraise it’s request.

“But be rest assured that we are together,” he declared.

Clark and other leaders of the region disowned the Ijaw leaders, who, on Thursday, met with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, without authorisation from other ethnic nationalities saying he did not send them.

THEWILL recalls that the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) had chosen Clark to head a separate team that would negotiate with the government, but MEND threatened to pull out of the peace talks if the Federal government agrees to dialogue with the Clark-led team.

According to a statement by its Spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, on Sunday, MEND had denounced Clark saying he lacked the moral authority to be championing for restructuring of the country.

The statement said among other things, that the leaders of the region failed to categorically condemn the criminal and treasonable activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) which has claimed responsibility for series of attacks on oil facilities in the region.

The group declared that it would only recognise the Peace and Development Initiative headed by Odein Ajumogobia inaugurated in June and called on Clark to respect himself as an elder statesman by refraining from accepting to lead a so-called ‘NDA delegation’ to non-existent talks with the Federal Government.

“At almost 90 years of age, we believe that Chief Edwin Clark cannot reasonably stand the rigours associated with dialogue and negotiation of the Niger Delta question,” the statement said.

“Chief Clark must not head every civil society initiative in the Niger Delta. Following his appointment by NDA (assuming he decided to accept), we expected Chief Clark to lead his team to pledge allegiance to the MEND Aaron Team who are patiently waiting on the side-lines to meet President Buhari in the next couple of days to chart a course for the beleaguered region.”

Story by David Oputah

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