An Ogoni leader and Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jerry Needam, has admonished the people of Ogoni to be involved in politics but not with preference of violence. Needam, who was speaking at Grassroots Democratic Initiatives (GDI) organized rally in Ward 11, comprising Kono, Buan and Kwawa communities in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, held at Kono Town Hall on Sunday, September 22, 2013, also assured the people that irresponsible elements, particularly those who over the years have been fighting against the Ogoni struggle for emancipation will be exposed. He also informed the over 3000 participants of the rally that during the period some set of Ogoni constituted themselves as thorns in the flesh of the Ogoni struggle, and these persons must not be allowed to abuse the fruits of the suffering of poor Ogoni men and women who have endured the assaults meted on them by security agencies which most of them were their collaborators. “We’ll expose Ogoni politicians who paid solidarity visits to late Sani Abacha, and those who worked with Rivers State Internal Security” Jerry Needam threatened. “The Ogoni people have since the inception of the revolution, agitated adequate political representations. Politicians who want to be beneficiaries today, were the same people who never identified with the struggle which philosophies included economic and political emancipation. I warn you to beware of these anti Ogoni politicians who now want to enjoy what they did not sow”, Needam said. The Media aide to the State PDP Chairman, Jerry Needam also used the occasion to drum up support for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as well as the leadership of the main stream PDP, headed by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. “I don’t want any of you to be deceived. The authentic leadership of the PDP is the Bamanga Tukur’s at the national and the Felix Obuah’s at the state level. The Minister of State for Education, Barr Nyesom Wike, who is also overseeing the Education Ministry, is the leader of the Party in Rivers State and it is important we all support them so that we don’t loss out of the scheme of things. “Nobody should come here and deceive you. Amaechi has failed. He is fighting Jonathan, that he has confirmed. He is funding and working with the APC and PDM. He and his allies are no longer members of the PDP, and that confirms why he is working with Northerners in a bid to remove President Jonathan. But as patriotic citizens of the South-South, we must resist their antics and unpatriotic activities. “I urge you to stand firm and resist all attempts to lure you to commit evil against your brother, the State and the Nation. With God on our side, we shall win”, he emphasized, while calling on the people to turn out enmass for the local government inauguration of the Grassroots Development Initiative, (GDI), coming up on Sunday, September 29, 2013 in Bori.
