The prominent former militant leader and mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanekpe Israel, also known as Akpodoro, responded to the statement made by Alhaji Asari Dokubo, the leader of the now-defunct Niger Delta Volunteer Force, or NDVF, that he would oppose President Bola Tinubu’s potential reelection in 2027 by saying that Dokubo has the right to form an alliance with whoever he wants.

Speaking to reporters over the weekend in Abuja, where the roundtable conference was centred around a pro-2027 Coalition for President Tinubu’s reelection bid, the mayor said that Alhaji Asari is a well-respected figure among his peers and ought to speak for himself. He also stated that the entire Niger Delta region is firmly in support of Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, also known as Tompolo, or the “GOC.”

According to Akpodoro, the people of the Niger Delta region are content with the socioeconomic development that has spread throughout the entire region in the form of material and human advancement under the current administration. He stated that the current state of affairs is a far cry from the immediate past, when the people were living in extreme poverty and despair.

He stated that the socioeconomic and political well-being of the majority of people in terms of human empowerment and growth are the best indicators for gauging the quality of governance in the region, and that sating the ravenous appetite of one man is not the standard for evaluating the performance of the APC administration in the area.

The Mayor pointed out that Tinubu’s government was “not the product of one man but rather the result of the combined efforts of the Nigerian people, including Niger Deltans, who overwhelmingly voted for him at the polls.”

The mayor went on to say that the Niger Delta’s citizens will vote for President Tinubu in greater numbers than they had in 2023, allowing him to finish his national reforming mission.

According to Akpodoro, the government of President Tinubu has been fair to all parts of the nation in its efforts to create a just political system, which includes enabling the next generation of Nigerians to assume leadership roles when the time comes.

Anyone who expects President Tinubu to favour him at the expense of progress and development is being mischievous. He named Dr. Dennis Otuaro, a technocrat, as the administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP); the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is running constantly. Our stream is experiencing calm more than ever thanks to the appointment of people we trust in the area and Tantita Security Services Nig LTD’s unrelenting battle on oil thieves, which is weakening the influence of criminals, Mayor Akpodoro remarked.

While the rest of the Niger Delta would support President Tinubu, a southerner with the Midas touch, for a new Nigeria, he advised Alhaji Dokubo to wait until 2027 to join with anyone he so desires.