Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of Amnesty Programme (PAP), Prof. Charles Dokubo, has expressed dismay over unverified posts in the social media, linking him to sponsorship of political thugs ahead of the botched presidential and National Assembly elections earlier scheduled for February 16.
Dokubo, however, noted that the verbal missiles fired at him by opposition elements were expected, considering President Muhammadu Buhari’s rising popularity in the Niger Delta, based on his developmental footprints through the PAP.
A Facebook user had, in a post, at the weekend, alleged that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat, in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State was attacked by thugs aided by Dokubo, a few hours to the postponement of the elections.
But, in a swift reaction, the presidential adviser dismissed the allegation as barefaced falsehood, concocted by vicious mercenary of the PDP, to mischievously draw sympathy and incite vulnerable youths in the area to unleash mayhem before, during or after the rescheduled election, in the face of its imminent defeat.
Dokubo, in a statement, yesterday, said he was at Abonnema, his hometown, on the eve of the election, which was postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to perform a civic obligation of casting his vote, and had no business with any political thug.
“I arrived Abonnema on Friday evening, to enable me cast my vote the next day, before the election was postponed. But, I was shocked when my attention was drawn to a post on social media alleging that I aided thugs to attack the PDP secretariat at Abonnema. This is a wicked and dangerous lie as I had no dealing with any thug and didn’t step out of my residence, in my brief stay in the community. But for the presence of my security men, my residence would have been attacked over a false alarm,” he said.
“The Niger Delta people are with President Buhari because they are reaping the gains of PAP since I came on board.
“With Mr. President’s support and determination, we were able to commission a world-class vocational training centre for our beneficiaries at Agadagba-Obon, Ondo State, recently. “A few days later, we commenced distribution of starter packs to residents of communities impacted by crises in the Niger Delta; commissioned a liaison office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and also performed foundation laying ceremony for another PAP vocational training centre at Gelegele, Edo State.
“All these, we did within a period of two weeks, and it has endeared Mr. President to the Niger Delta people. So, the opposition is jittery of an imminent defeat and therefore doing everything to cause chaos. The allegation of sponsoring thugs at Abonnema against me is a step in this direction,” he said.
Dokubo warned against blackmail, incitement and politicisation of the PAP which, he said, was set up with a mandate to sustain peace and security in the Niger Delta to pave way for its development.
“The PAP is not for me but for the people of Niger Delta, and every Niger Deltan should benefit from it either directly or indirectly. Therefore, we should not play politics with amnesty and I should not be falsely accused just because and I am coordinator of the programme.”