Founder of the Niger Delta Peoples Voluntary
Force, Alhaji Asari Dokubo has stood by
comments he made saying there will be
bloodshed in 2015 if President Jonathan lost the
polls in 2015.
He made the comments in an interview with
leading online publication, Premium Times before
his arrest in Benin late last year. Dokubo also
referred to former President Obasanjo and his
deputy, Atiku Abubakar as “political miscreants”.
Excerpts:
There were reports recently quoting as saying
there will be bloodshed in the country. Do you
really make that statement?
Yes, I did. If you look at the attacks that have
been directed at Goodluck since it became
apparent that the was going to become president
since 201o, certain individuals especially the
Ciromas, Lawal Kaita, General Muhammadu
Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, have also
made several statements that if President
Goodluck Jonathan become president they will
make sure that he fails. I quote: Lawal Kaita said
‘It is the turn of the north to produce the
president, that if Jonathan by default wins the
nomination of the PDP, we will stop him at the
general elections. If we fail to stop him at the
general election, even if he wins he will not be
able to rule we will make the country
ungovernable for him.’ Goodluck Jonathan comes
from a place. Nobody has a monopoly of
violence.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction. We cannot sit, fold our hands and
watch. If we had done that Goodluck Jonathan
would have been killed long time ago. He comes
from a place, a place that feeds the nation.
Nigeria is only existing because of Ijaw, Ogoni,
Itsekiri, Isoko, Ibo and Urhobo oil. Nigeria is only
existing because of its access to the coast
provided by the Ijaws, Itskeri and the Yorubas.
Nigeria would have become a landlocked country.
So we contribute to the survival of Nigeria. All
these men have gained from the misnomer called
Nigeria because Nigeria claims to be a Federal
Republic but it’s not, it’s a very crude primitive
state where we have an all-powerful centre.
So it’s a reaction. We have to prepare for then.
The last interview I granted I said it on Channels
television, there was no such thing. I said and I
repeat and I have no apology to anybody that
those who said that the blood of the monkeys,
baboons, dogs and if they want to soak them on
the water we will help them to soak the blood of
the baboons and the dogs on the street; if they
want to soak them in water we will help them.
That was my statement.
Did you receive presidential pardon and
amnesty?
I lead the people. I was president of Ijaw Youth
Council, which is the biggest youth group up till
date and I’m also the leader of the Niger Delta
Peoples’ Volunteer Force and Niger Delta
Peoples’ Salvation Funds. Did I tell you that I
collected amnesty? I am not a criminal. I don’t
know what you are talking about. Asari isn’t a
criminal. I am not a militant and I have a
pedigree and I cannot soil my name. If the
Nigerian state has any evidence to criminalize
me they should go to court. They’ve done that
several times and they failed without evidence.
Yes people who took amnesty have been
criminalized, that’s what it means. You pardon
someone who has committed an offence, not all
of them were criminals. But if you accept pardon
as a criminal, why will I speak for you? You have
accepted willingly. I did not collect amnesty and
the majority of my people did not. Only those
who broke away from us did.
Did you accept presidential pardon?
That question doesn’t sound right. I was granted
bail by a competent court of jurisdiction and I
am still on bail. I employed my lawyers. We went
to the Supreme Court for bail application and for
the first time in my life, the court suspended the
constitution of this country because of me. The
court says people can be arrested and be
detained as long as the government wants. It’s a
shame on the judiciary of this country that the
Supreme Court gave a judgment suspending the
constitution. That’s why some of us feel
Goodluck is playing with these political
miscreants who call themselves governors. He
should hit them with the hammer. If I was hit
with the hammer by Obasanjo, what is holding
Goodluck Jonathan. He should hit these political
miscreants with a hammer. Obasanjo should be
arrested and detained, and Atiku too. They are
ordinary citizens of this country. They are
nobody. I don’t know about Babangida (because)
he has not come out to talk about where he
belongs.
The government first refused to bring me to
court. Yar’ Adua was compelled to release me
from prison because of the bribe, because of the
oil, that they want production which had fallen
into 600,000 barrels. Nigeria was losing money,
so they wanted to release Asari but I refused to
sign. So many things were offered me but I said
no and I refused to sign. Henry Okah and others
signed.
My mother died at the age of 29. I’m 50. My
father died at the age 59. I’m 50. So, why should
I be afraid of death? It will come when it will
come. When God says you are going to die, you
will die. So I cannot mortgage my integrity, my
honour, my pedigree and that of my children.
No comments:
Post a Comment