Posted by From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure on
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) says it would blow up oil installations in the riverine areas of Ondo State and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Ore, if last week's verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal that declared Dr Olusegun Mimiko as winner of last year's governorship election in the state is overturned by the Court of Appeal.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) says it would blow up oil installations in the riverine areas of Ondo State and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Ore, if last week's verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal that declared Dr Olusegun Mimiko as winner of last year's governorship election in the state is overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu, on Friday last week had his election nullified by the state election tribunal. Agagu has, however, vowed to appeal the verdict.
MEND also threatened to make the state ungovernable for the defeated governor Agagu for the remaining period he would spend before the court rules on his appeal.
The group's coordinator in Ondo State, Nana Ajija, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun said MEND had deliberated on the judgment. He gave kudos to the tribunal judges for doing a thorough job and coming out with a true verdict that reflected voters' decision in the April 2007 governorship election in the state.
Ajija stated that the group also decided at the meeting to engage in violent destruction of oil installations, including the NNPC Ore depot in case Agagu uses the Federal Government's influence to overturn the verdict of the tribunal.
The coordinator, who berated members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for describing the tribunal judgment as biased and unfair, said for the five judges to have unanimously agreed on the judgment without a dissenting voice showed that the Appeal Court must be careful not to be influenced by the governor, so that the image of the judiciary would be protected.
The MEND boss said his group had perfected plans to give the embattled governor a tough time by creating series of crisis in the state, which, he said, would commence a week after the judgment.
His words: 'Apart from blowing off oil installations and Ore depot, all the pipelines across Ondo State will be destroyed as well, if the Appeal Court overturns the verdict of the Nabaruma-led election tribunal in the state. What is happening in Rivers State now will just be a child's play on what will happen in Ondo, if Agagu and his supporters influence the Appeal Court judgment."
'We are also planning to carry along students of higher learning across the state in our plans so that it will not look like an Ijaw issue. And any attempt by the security agents to disrupt our plans then will be met with force."
Ajija contended that the judgment was a clear manifestation that the PDP rigged the election in the state last year against the will of the electorate, stressing that the victory was a collective one for all democrats.
'This is a collective victory for all genuine democrats in Ondo State. It is the repudiation of the do or die politics foisted on the people of Ondo State in last year's general elections in the state. The victory is a clear manifestation of our earlier declaration that the election was rigged for Agagu."
'The declarative judgment is indicative of the fact that the judiciary is truly independent and democracy must live in Nigeria, and whoever tries to go against the rule of law must be ready to face the music."
He warned security agents to steer clear of MEND's activities anytime the group decided to flex muscles with Governor Agagu.
It also urged the western countries and oil companies operating in the reverine areas of the state to give a passionate appeal to Agagu to allow the truth to prevail at the Appeal Court, warning that the oil companies would be at the receiving end if the governor manipulated the judgment.
'We are urging the western countries who are watching the unfolding political events in Nigeria to make a passionate appeal to the Federal Government, PDP and the governor of Ondo State to allow the sleeping dog to lie, because any attempt to overturn the judgment of the Nabaruma election petition tribunal will lead to bloodshed and violence that will be much more serious than that of Rivers State.
'Actually we do not want the western countries to again see us as a group that believes in violence rather than dialogue. That is why we are calling on them now to have a foreknowledge of the impending violence in Ondo State if the Court of Appeal should overturn the election petition tribunal judgment.