PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) leaders have warned prominent Ijaw leaders and Niger Delta militants to be mindful of their comments and refrain from insisting that the nation will go to war if President Goodluck Jonathan loses the elections.

Over recent weeks, former Niger Delta militant leaders Alhaji Asari Dokubo, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo and Victor Ebikabowei also known as Boyloaf, have threatened fire and brimstone of President Jonathan is not re-elected. Former information minister and prominent Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark, has also said that there will be dire consequences if an Ijaw president is not elected for a second term.

Following a recent meeting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, some Niger Delta militants even threatened to halt the nation's oil supplies if President Jonathan was defeated at the polls next month. Wary at the way such comments are heating up the polity, the PDP has warned them and other support groups, organisations, professional bodies and associations rooting for President Jonathan to be careful with their utterances.

As the political temperature rises, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) commanders have given former defence minister General Theophilus Danjuma seven days to apologise for calling for the arrest of Alhaji Dokubo. Describing him as a miscreant, General Danjuma had said that Alhaji Dokubo should be arrested and prosecuted for his unguarded comments.

Chief Clark and the ex-militants have since attacked General Danjuma, saying that his remarks were disappointing. At a meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday, the former militant commanders condemned the call for the arrest of Alhaji Dokubo and Mr Ekpemupolo, saying that the call amounted to a declaration of war against the Niger Delta region.

credit:  Nigerianwatch

Former Mend commander General Boyloaf, asked General Danjuma to apologise and hide his head in shame or face humiliation. Earlier in the week, Alhaji Dokubo had responded by calling on General Danjuma to return the wealth he had amassed from Niger Delta oil, given that he was a major player in the sector.

General Reuben Wilson alias Pastor who handed the ultimatum to General Danjuma on behalf of other Mend commanders said the general was among the northern leaders that had richly benefited from the oil resource in the region. He added:  “As much as he has the right to free speech, Danjuma ought to know that the oil money he is enjoying today, through his ownership of oil blocs, came from our sacrifices and blood.

"We staked our life to fight for the development of our country and we fought for freedom for our land and it pains us that people like Danjuma who have reaped bountifully from the Niger Delta, can wake up to insult our sensibilities. For Danjuma to call for the arrest of Asari Dokubo, then he has walked on the tail of the serpent.

“All we have said over time is that our brother, President Jonathan, is a true son of the Niger Delta and deserves to enjoy the two terms in office provided for in the constitution. We stand by this right and we will do everything legal and legitimate to make sure that he is not denied that right, not by a thousand Danjumas."

Seeking to calm things down, PDP national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh noted that although the party appreciated the support of all Nigerians, it was disturbed over the statements of some people which could provoke other parts of the country. Warning that President Jonathan was not an Ijaw president or that of the south-south geo- political zone, he added that he was the president of all Nigerians.

Chief Metuh said: “We want to stress and state publicly that whilst we have noted the interest, zeal and enthusiasms of individuals, various groups, support groups and organisations, that are supporting the president with statements, adverts, documentaries and TV programmes, we appeal to them to be guided by the noble ideals and the visions of the founding fathers of our party. We are not in agreement with their statements and we are cautioning them to mind what they say.

"No individuals own the party and the president could be more loved in Anambra than Ijaw areas.  While we are not responsible for the utterances, statements of some of our support individuals, groups and organisations, we are cautioning them to be mindful of what they say."

He added that the PDP is a national party covering all zones, and local governments, so no group, people or zone owns it. To buttress this point, he added that yesterday President Jonathan pointed out that the people of Adamawa State had given him twice the number of votes that he got from Bayelsa State.