South-South Leaders and Elders Forum has said it plans to meet in Abuja to take a stand on the bomb blast that marred the Independence Day celebration in the FCT last week.
The leader of the forum, Chief Edwin Clark, who described the explosion as an unfortunate incident stated that the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta which claimed responsibility for the attack, had ceased to exist and could not have planted the bombs.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the Ijaw leader absolved the leader of MEND, Mr. Henry Okah, and other militant groups of invelvement in the explosion.
Okah is currently being tried in South Africa over the blasts.
Clark said Okah and other ex-militants could not have master-minded the attacks because they all accepted the amnesty offer of the Federal Government.
He said, “‘Henry Okah and others could not have been involved because they have all accepted the amnesty programme offered by the Federal Government. It is an unfortunate incident and we pray for the families that lost their loved ones that God will give them the fortitude to bear the loss.
“Mr. President should not be disturbed, MEND no longer exists. Anyone who says MEND is involved is wasting his time.”
Clark called for the dissolution of the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, adding that the party executive’s emergence did not follow due process.
He said there was no congress in the ward, local government and state levels before the executive came into office.
Clark explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission had directed that a new congress should be held in the state. He added that the congress had postponed.
“The purpose of the congress is to ensure internal democracy. The President told the whole world that there would be free and fair elections in the country. Nobody should put pressure on him to change this position,” he stated.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010051283187
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