Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force(NDPVF), Alhaji Mujaheed Abubakar Dokubo-Asari, has vehemently denied insinuations in some quarters that he is anti-people and thus against the recent nationwide protest.
The ex-militant leader gave a warning signal to elements who are working against the President Bola Tinubu led government “this government will not fail. This government will stand. We might have differences. We must tell those in government that if you are in government, you must not use your power in government to suppress people, to cause anarchy.”
Speaking at a gathering recently, Alhaji Dokubo-Asari stressed: “Let me tell you something. Don’t pretend about it. We are all sitting here peacefully. It will be good for you to visit Liberia, visit Somalia…visit Venezuela. I was in Libya, I was a friend of Ghaddafi, I lived in Libya. Libya was paradise. Today Libya is hell-fire. Ninety percent of those who led the anarchy against Ghaddafi are all dead.
“Let nobody deceive you that there will be a peaceful protest. It’s not a protest. It’s a call to anarchy. Have you read the ten points demand? A change of government, a change of constitution, and a change of this and that. Is that demand for good governance? That is a coup and we will resist it.
“People have been hungry and this is not the first time. Nobody is happy that people are hungry. We are all working so that the burden on the shoulder of the people will be lifted and carried away.
“The President has done this. The President is doing this. He is not doing that. When a government comes to power, we cease to be political party members. We cease to be PDP or APC or YPP or any other political party. We all now have a party called Nigeria.
“Party Nigeria, that’s what we are and we must all work, no religion says you must pray for your government to fail. Anywhere you see a small thing for your government to fail, immediately you jump in, ‘the government must fail.’ “
According to him, “here are people in government and say we will deal with you. But na me dey tell you say you no fit deal with me. So those who think they can deal with us should not spoil the government of Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Me, I have known Ahmed Bola Tinubu. I know him to his bedroom. And I know there is no President that has come to this country that is like Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
“All of you know I don’t flatter people. In fact, I specialize in abusing people. President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Sammy Ugbuku and Dennis Otuaru and others were in the trenches with us. This is the first time that a President that is one of us is in Aso Rock and that is why we must support him because we know he is dealing with people who do not understand what we went through and what we are.
“We have paid our price from June 12 till today. We have gone to prison. We have been underground. We have been buried alive. We have every right to earn our respect. And we are telling you, don’t go.”
Going further he averred: “What they want to come and do is to blow pipelines. To intercept trucks, trucking. To intercept barging, barges. You heard what happened in Imo State yesterday where they killed police officers, that is what they want to do and we must resist them.
“We must not allow them to bring their anarchy here, but if you get stronghead, you bring am. I no be Tinubu. I no dey government. I no be Chief of Army Staff. I no be IG of Police. If you do anyhow, you go see anyhow.
“Don’t bring your protest here. The protest does not concern us. And anywhere you are doing your protest, I dey there and you are doing your protest and I know your protest will be a threat to me, I will be a threat to you.
“That is it. I am not going to romance my words. I am not going to do si si si with you. I am not a sisi. My name is Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and I am going to live up to my name and I will stand firm. I am not doing it because Bola Ahmed Tinubu will give me anything.
“I am doing it be because I believe if I don’t do it, my life will be in danger. The lives of my children will be in danger and the lives of my compatriots, all of you who are here will also be in danger. It is wrong for us to be part of or even conceive this protest. Those who have lost elections should prepare for 2027. Thank you.”
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