Niger Delta Youth Movement Sacks President over Abuse of Office

Okon Bassey in  Uyo

Niger Delta Youth Movement (NDYM) has sacked its national president, Comrade Joe Jackson over alleged abuse of office including forgery.

Accordingly, Jackson has been ordered to immediately handover to his deputy, Comrade Amutadi Uba Tega, who is to occupy the office in acting capacity pending further development.

The decision to remove the group’s national president was taken recently by concerned members of the National Executive Council (NEC) during a meeting in Owerri, Imo state.

In a statement issued yesterday in Uyo and signed by the National Public Relations Officer of NDYM, Comrade Boboye Peretu, Jackson was accused of consistently abusing the constitution of the movement and desecrating his office as national president.

Peretu, in the statement, said Jackson authored and forged a letter to Total E&P and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) without the authorisation of the
NEC.

The statement reads in part: “Comrade Joe Jackson forged and authored a letter to Total E & P Nigeria Limited, Trans Amadi Industrial Layout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State purporting that it was the NEC that approved  the composition of Egi Ward/Clan Executive when he knew that it was/is the duty of the State and Local Government Executive to oversee the activities of a Ward/Clan.

“He also forged and authored a letter to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Rivers State Office purporting that it was the NEC that approved that Rivers State elections did not take place when he knew that the content of that letter was false, thereby putting the entire movement into disrepute.”

The statement further said Jackson was sacked “For refusal and neglect to call for a NEC meeting for more than one year in spite of appeals from national officers to do so.

“That Comrade Joe Jackson confiscated the Movement’s official vehicle and has refused to release same for official use of the Movement for more than two years,” he said.

When contacted on phone, Jackson dismissed his purported sack as the president of NDYM, insisting that the allegations against him were baseless.

He said:”I am just hearing that some people went and had an illegal meeting. The constitution provides that I am supposed to call for the meeting. They went and had a meeting, and  came out with allegations. They cannot substantiate the allegation, that I confiscated the official bus.

“I had told them many times that we had meeting that the association bus is accidented and it is at the mechanic. But none of them has ever said demanded that I should the bus to them. It is still at the mechanic at Deeper Life Road, off Idoro Road. I can even send the picture of the vehicle to you.

“Then they said I wrote a letter to the

NDDC. I have demanded a proof, but I have not seen that done.  They said I have not been calling for meetings, I have called for meetings several times and they refused to attend.

“They should have attached the proofs of their allegations; I have not seen any. So, it is an illegal arrangement, and I am still the National President of the organisation, until when all these allegations are proven.

“Of course, the constitution says once there is allegation, a committee must be set up to investigate it and if it is proven, two-thirds of the members must have to sit and pass my removal, they didn’t do that, I learnt they met in Owerri on Sunday and decided to come up with those allegations without attaching any proof. So, I am still the National President.”