From Victor Edozie, in Port Harcourt
The Concerned Stakeholders of the Niger Delta, a group composed of community leaders, activists, professionals, women, and youths from various communities across the Niger Delta, have condemned what they described as another reckless smear campaign against Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group in a press statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday by its President General , HRH Alaowei Amawari absolved Chief Samuel Ogbuku of any link to what it described as “fictional ambition of former President Goodluck Jonathan to run for the presidency in 2027”.
The statement noted that the false narrative was orchestrated by a faceless group and disseminated by some online news platforms.
It pointed out that the allegations against the NDDC Managing Director are baseless and outright nonsense, adding that they are political maneuvers taken too far, and those promoting them are clearly enemies of the Niger Delta region.
“The purveyors of such falsehood are not only irrational but also childish and irresponsible. Their actions underscore the intellectual vacuity often exhibited by these petty political adversaries of both the Commission and the region.
“While we could have ignored the poorly worded and extraneous communication, we have decided to respond because there have been several similar attempts in the past by faceless and questionable groups to malign Chief Samuel Ogbuku’s character and his office as Managing Director of the NDDC.
“Concerned Stakeholders of the Niger Delta Region see these unwarranted attacks against the NDDC’s Managing Director as clear attempts to undermine the commendable efforts of the current Board and management of the Commission in addressing the socio-economic and developmental challenges of the region and rewriting the negative narratives of the past.
“As critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region, we are aware, and can assert without a shadow of doubt, that there is an “unspoken consensus” regarding the region’s support for the President’s administration and his Renewed Hope Agenda, both now and leading into 2027 presidential election which has been exhaustively championed by Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku since his inception of office.
“Ogbuku’s vision aligns with Mr. President’s dream of a viable and sustainable Nigeria. He envisions Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the region and Country, and is determined to give his best to ensure President Tinubu’s name is written in letters of gold in the annals of history in the Niger Delta.
“The commissioning of a permanent office building for the NDDC in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State should be a success story both for the state and region, and not an opportunity for undermining progress or pulling anyone down. Twenty-five years since the creation of the NDDC, it is under Ogbuku’s leadership that Bayelsa state have gotten a permanent and befitting edifice as office. We had expected a high-powered delegation from the state to visit and thank President Tinubu for standing by the state, and for appointing a visionary leader like Dr. Samuel Ogbuku as the Managing Director of the NDDC. Instead of this, anti-development protagonist have chosen to come after Dr. Ogbuku because they do not want President Tinubu to succeed in the Niger Delta,” the statement pointed out.
