BEVERLY HILLS, January 15, (THEWILL) – More drama emerging from the election of a new executive committee for the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) indicates that Mike Lube-Nwidobie, who also lays claim to being the MOSOP president, was allegedly sworn-in last week, thereby running another MOSOP leadership.
Although, Lube-Nwidobie lost the elections to Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, who was re-elected, he was sworn in by Godwin N.K. Gininwa, an influential local chief.
In reaction, the eight vice presidents of MOSOP and the group called ‘MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators’ (MKC), along with chapter leaders of the Ogoni umbrella organisation have come out to condemn the actions of Godwin N.K. Gininwa.
The MOSOP vice presidents and MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators described the actions of Godwin N.K. Gininwa as “a nullity, irresponsible and childish,” noting that “Gininwa’s antecedents have clearly identified him as a friend of Shell whose major concern is to short-change the Ogoni interests for his lucrative Shell business.”
“We condemn the purported swearing-in of a group of miscreants led by one Mike Lube-Nwidobie as executives of MOSOP at his residence in Korokoro, Tai Local Government Area on Monday, January 11, 2016,” they said.
“MOSOP Coordinators hereby dissociates themselves from the activities of Gininwa and this fake group who is purportedly headed by one Mike Lube-Nwidobie, and urged Ogoni people to call the Korokoro chief to order before he plunges Ogoni into crises.
“Godwin N.K. Gininwa does not have the capacity to swear-in any MOSOP executive, either at chapter levels, affiliate, kingdom or national level. We bear that issues of MOSOP are far beyond the jurisdiction of a local or community chief, and cannot be confined to the residence of a local Tai chief, Godwin N.K. Gininwa.
“We warn that Godwin N.K. Gininwa will be held responsible for any breach of peace in Ogoni area or any injury done to anyone as a result of his actions.”
MOSOP, while calling Ogonis to rally behind Pyagbara, the re-elected president, has also urged the general public to distance from Gininwa and Lube-Nwidobie on issues relating to MOSOP and the Ogoni agenda, describing the duo as “a bunch of irresponsible persons, acting without the authority of MOSOP or the Ogoni people.”
THEWILL recalls that, last week, Magnus Abe, a prominent Ogoni politician and former Senate committee chairman of Petroleum Downstream, differed strongly with MOSOP over its 30-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari on implementation of the technical report of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
Abe openly dissociated himself from the ultimatum, opting rather for a more inclusive dialogue with the Federal Government.
Story by David Oputah
