PANDEF youth wing rejects Obi’s endorsement

Youths of the Niger Delta region under the aegis of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) Youth Wing have rejected the endorsement of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by some members of the national leadership of PANDEF.

Rising from an emergency meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the headquarters of PANDEF, the leadership of PANDEF Youth Wing, said those who purportedly endorsed Obi in a meeting of the Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt Leaders recently were on their own.

They claimed that Obi’s endorsers did so without due consultations with stakeholders particularly the youth body of PANDEF comprising national officers and state chapters chairmen.

Their rejection was contained in a communiqué after the meeting presided over by the National Deputy Youth Leader, Olorogun Vincent Oyibode, and by Edo Youth Leader, General Don Ben; Rivers State Youth Leader, Mr Henry George; Akwa Ibom Youth Leader, Mr Victor Asuquo; Cross River Youth Leader, Chief Ani Esin; Delta State Youth Leader, Chief Sylvester Okumagba and Bayelsa State Youth Leader, Mr Berenengia Samuel.

The PANDEF youths said the purported endorsement was against the spirit and letters of the PANDEF Constitution in Article 1 (1) which stipulates that PANDEF is a non-political, non-partisan and non-religious organisation of the Niger Delta people.

They argued that in a meeting where sensitive decisions are to be taken must involve all the national executive officers and state chapters chairmen including those of the youth wings and that such meetings must be at the headquarters of the organisation which is Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The PANDEF youths noted: “There was no time PANDEF ever held a meeting to debate the need to participate or take a position as a group on the 2023 general elections and that those who purportedly endorse Obi at that meeting spoke for themselves and not PANDEF and the South-South region of the Niger Delta.
“That the major focus of PANDEF is to promote sons and daughters of the region on issues of public interest that bear direct and indirect impact on the well-being of the Niger Delta people as that is the constitutional aim and objective of the PANDEF Constitution.

“That the same persons, without any meeting with stakeholders have given ultimatum to a son of the Niger Delta, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to drop his ambition for reasons best known to them and that this does not have the blessing of the youths of region.”

The youths also expressed concern over the obnoxious monetary policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that is not utilitarian to Nigerians and therefore called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency put up an acceptable implementation mechanism.

They sympathised with the families of youths that lost their lives in Edo State and other places as a result of the poorly implemented monetary policy.

They called on the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, to release the new naira notes and also the network services should be made to be working efficiently.

The PANDEF youths also called on the youths of Nembe Kingdom (Bayelsa State) where some persons were reportedly killed recently during rival groups clash to sheathe their swords and embrace peace.

They contended that the era had passed where brothers kill brothers as a result of political interests, saying that politics always comes and goes but community will remain forever.