The Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum has issued a rallying cry for solidarity among southern political leaders to demand justice, equity, and an end to the marginalization of politicians from the southern part of the country.
The forum, comprising former agitators from the Niger Delta region, expressed their dissatisfaction with the political injustices faced by southerners and called for an immediate end to the trend of undermining Southern leadership.
The forum’s chairman, Ambassador Alban Paulinus, drew a historical parallel with the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was denied a second term due to political injustices.
He noted that a similar pattern is emerging with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, with some Northern groups already calling for his removal barely a year into his administration.
The ex-agitators decried the disparity in treatment between Southern and Northern leaders, citing the examples of former Senate Presidents from the South who were systematically targeted for impeachment by Northern interests.
They expressed worries over the recent calls for the impeachment of the current Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, a Southerner, and vowed to resist any attempts to undermine his leadership.
The forum demanded the establishment of a South-South Development Commission to ensure equity and justice in regional development.
They called on Senator Akpabio and other federal legislators from the South-South to initiate and fast-track the passage of a bill for the creation of the commission.
Ambassador Paulinus urged politicians in the south to unite under a Southern Nigerian Movement to defend and advance the political, economic, and regional interests of the South and Middle Belt.
The forum declared their readiness to defend Nigeria’s unity, integrity, and prosperity, but called on all Nigerians and the international community to recognize that the time for change and justice was long overdue.
The Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum emphasized that the unity and future of Nigeria depend on the equitable treatment of all its regions, and the Niger Delta stands ready to lead the charge for a just and prosperous nation.
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