Matilda Omonaiye/
South-South Elders Progressive Forum (SSEPF) has declared a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly representing Ekeremor Constituency 2, Hon. Wilson Ayakpo Dauyegha, an enemy of the Niger Delta region.
The elders said recent comments by the lawmaker urging President Muhammadu Buhari not to inaugurate a substantive Board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), until investigative and prosecutorial processes had been taken was against the popular wish of the Niger Delta people.
In a statement on Tuesday jointly signed by its chairman, Dr. Promise Okpolo and Coordinator, Community Relations, Chief Anderson Etiewo, the SSEPF noted that deafening calls for the inauguration of a new Board for the interventionist agency were germane and patriotic, amidst rising tempers in the region which had reached a boiling point.
It says that Hon. Dauyegha’s comments, with regards to the inauguration of a substantive Board for the NDDC, were clearly an act of sabotage, as it was antithetical to the popular desire of his constituents and the generality of the Niger Delta people.
The SSEPF, whose membership comprises elders cutting across states in the Niger Delta region, contended that the NDDC Establishment Act has no provision for an interim contraption in the running of its affairs.
Part of the statement reads: “It is noteworthy that the NDDC is a statutory creation and its Establishment Act is explicit on how it should be administered. It does not provide for an interim arrangement and therefore, anyone calling for a delay in the inauguration of a new Board and promoting the sustenance of illegality is a saboteur.
“That is why we are shocked and deeply concerned about the path chosen by Hon. Wilson Ayakpo Dauyegha, a lawmaker and Deputy Minority Leader of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly who is expected to uphold the tenets of the rule of law but has decided to act in breach.
“His dismissal of calls by the highly revered leadership of the Ijaw National Congress, INC, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, and other critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region for Mr. President to immediately constitute a substantive Board for the NDDC after the forensic audit as “too sudden and do not speak the real intentions of the people of the Niger Delta”, portrays a sinister motive.
“In the circumstances, we urge his constituents to immediately commence the process of recalling him from the Bayelsa State House of Assembly since he has demonstrated a blurred vision that is contrary to their common interest and the Niger Delta people.
“We also use this opportunity to urge President Muhammadu Buhari to act in line with statutory provisions and the common wish of the Niger Delta people by inaugurating a substantive Board for the NDDC without further delay.”.
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