The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYC) yesterday described as false the claims by a former militant, Israel Akpodoro, that former President Goodluck Jonathan founded and armed a militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
In a statement by its spokesman, Eric Omare, IYC said it was irrational to imagine that Dr Jonathan, who conceded defeat and congratulated his opponent even before the final results were announced, would back a terror group.
The statement said: “The attention of the group has been drawn to a statement issued by Israel Akpodoro, who claimed to be the National President of National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, alleging that former President Jonathan founded the NDA.
“The initial reaction of the IYC was to ignore the statement, considering the fact that Akpodoro is unknown and has no pedigree in the Niger Delta region.
“However, we have consistently been inundated with calls and messages by concerned Nigerians all over the world on the true position – as far as the allegations are concerned. This response is to set the records straight for the benefit of the reading public.
“The allegation that the NDA was formed by Jonathan in a meeting he attended in January 2015, preparatory to the 2015 general election to make the country ungovernable for his successor, is absolutely untrue.
“It is nonsensical to imagine that former President Jonathan, who conceded defeat and congratulated his opponent, President Muhammadu Buhari, even before the final result was announced, would make such a plan.
“In the first place, the January 2015 meeting of ex-agitators and stakeholders in the region was not attended by Jonathan and the meeting never resolved to make Nigeria ungovernable for President Buhari.
“The IYC leadership also attended the meeting and the President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri, was one of the speakers at that meeting. The meeting was called to calm down the youths of the Niger Delta, who were aggrieved by the attacks on former President Jonathan in some northern states during the campaign for the 2015 presidential elections.