A’IBOM FORMER MILITANTS GROUP BACKS TINUBU RE-ELECTION
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BY JENN NOMAMIUKOR
The Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum has again shown support for President Bola Tinubu and said they back his re–election in 2027 under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
They also gave their confidence in Dr Dennis Otuaro, who is the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and in charge of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, and said they don’t agree with any calls to remove him.
In a statement signed by the forum‘s president, Elder Okoko, and shared with reporters in Uyo on Wednesday, the group said that as people who have been part of and benefited from the peace process in the Niger Delta, they understand the important role that the Presidential Amnesty Programme plays in keeping peace, helping people get back on their feet, reintegrate into society, develop their skills, and improve their economic situation in the region.
The statement said, “The Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum reaffirms its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and his Renewed Hope Agenda. We believe the Niger Delta needs stability, good leadership, ongoing investment in people‘s skills and continued involvement from the Federal Government.
“The Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum has expressed its unwavering support for the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, and strongly condemned recent calls by certain individuals and groups for his removal from office. As stakeholders and beneficiaries of the Niger Delta peace process, we recognise the critical role of PAP in sustaining peace, rehabilitation, reintegration, human-capital development and economic empowerment across the region”, the statement partly read.
According to the statement, under Otuaro’s leadership, the Amnesty Programme has demonstrated a growing emphasis on education, vocational training, skills acquisition, empowerment and sustainable reintegration beyond the traditional focus on monthly stipends.
The forum particularly commended the expansion of PAP’s Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, noting that in 2026 alone, 243 Niger Delta youths were reportedly deployed for postgraduate studies abroad, including 150 recently deployed to universities in the United Kingdom in disciplines such as Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Law, Global Public Health, Oil and Gas Engineering, Fintech Analytics, Construction Engineering Management, Forensic Audit and Data Science.
“These investments represent opportunities for young people to acquire knowledge and skills that can contribute meaningfully to the development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria,” the statement added.
On calls for Otuaro’s removal, the forum rejected attempts to create the impression that he had lost the confidence of Niger Delta stakeholders, expressing concern that some campaigns against him appeared to be driven by ethnic, sectional, personal or political interests rather than an objective assessment of his performance.
The group clarified that its position should not be misconstrued as opposition to the Ijaw ethnic nationality, adding that it respected the Ijaw people and acknowledged their historic contributions to the Niger Delta struggle.
“However, no ethnic group owns the Presidential Amnesty Programme. PAP is a Federal Government intervention established for the peace, stability, rehabilitation and development of the Niger Delta and must therefore serve the collective interest of the region and Nigeria. Let it be on record that the Ijaw ethnic nationality does not deserve a chance to take over the PAP administration at the moment, as they have served multiple terms in recent PAP history. Other ethnic nationalities also deserve a chance”, it stated.
The forum strongly reaffirmed its support for President Tinubu and expressed confidence in the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his role in coordinating national security and strategic interventions aimed at maintaining peace and stability.
“The Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum believes that the success of the Presidential Amnesty Programme should ultimately be measured by the peace it preserves, lives it transforms, young people it educates, skills it develops and the sustainable future it creates for the Niger Delta.
“We appeal to all stakeholders to place peace above politics, development above personal interests and the collective future of the Niger Delta above ethnic and sectional considerations. The Niger Delta cannot afford another cycle of instability”, the statement added.
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