APC Condemns Attack on Kachikwu, Others over Alleged Romance with Militants

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
The Delta State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has disagreed with a Niger Delta Coalition (NDC) leader, Mr. Young Piro, for alleging that the unholy romance of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and his counterpart in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Nguru Usani, was responsible for the renewed threats from the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) on oil facilities in the Niger-Delta.

In a statement made available to THISDAY on Thursday, the Chairman of the APC, Prophet Jones Erue, described the allegation as unfortunate and disrespectful adding that the NDC leader was a member of the APC.
Erue said that the party was already considering disciplinary action against Piro for failure to honour an invitation by the State Working Committee (SWC) to substantiate his serious allegations against Kachikwu and Usani.

The NDC leader had in Abuja alleged that Usani, Kachikwu and the Director-General of the Amnesty Programme, Gen. Paul Boroh (retired) have been patronising militants and thereby encouraging resurgence of militancy in the oil-rich region.

Piro reportedly alleged that Kachikwu and the others masterminded the recent threat by a militia, NDA, to resume hostilities against oil and gas installations in the region after months of ceasefire in order to disrupt the prevailing peace in the region and causing a relapse in the nation’s economic recovery from envisaged upset in the oil and gas sector.

The state APC chairman said he could vouch for the integrity of the accused appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari as they have consistently stood for peace in the region, maintaining that they would not be party to anything that would cause unrest in any part of the region.
Erue told journalists in Asaba on Thursday that “Piro resorted to cheap blackmail against Kachikwu after he failed to get (undisclosed) favour through the back door.”

Erue said, “We know that this faceless group, NDC and its faceless leader, Young Piro, are constantly harassing the minister seeking one favour or the other. And, since they could not get it through the back door, they have resorted to attacking personalities. The party frowns at this and we will no longer tolerate it.
“I want to let you know that we immediately invited the said Young Piro to appear before the SWC to explain why he should not be sanctioned for standing down the truth and using blackmail to defame personalities from the region. But he refused to show up because he knows what he has done.

“If I may borrow the words of Mr. President, he has crossed the red line. And since he disrespected the party, we want to initiate a suspension order, a disciplinary action will follow. We will follow the constitutional order in this matter because anything that brings disrepute to the party is anti-party”.

Erue further called on security agencies to investigate the allegations to ascertain the source of “such weighty allegations against the federal government appointees.