November 11, (THEWILL) – Traditional rulers, stakeholders and ex-militant leaders from Bayelsa state and across the Niger Delta region have warned the former militant leader, High Chief Government Ekepemupolo, also known as Tompolo, to stay away from the political terrain of Bayelsa state and call off the ongoing use of his armed Tantita security men to truncate the electoral process in the November 11 Governorship poll.
According to the stakeholders, despite the presence of deployed security men for the poll, the illegal movement of armed gunmen dressed in Tantita security Company uniforms was reported along the waterways of Southern Ijaw to hijack election materials. The men of Tantita security were also alleged to have instigated the fake boat mishap in the Koluama area in order to claim that election materials were lost to enable APC supporters to hijack the election materials from the PDP stronghold.
The stakeholders and ex-militant leaders, in a statement on Saturday and signed by Chief Diepreye Agadi, argued that Tompolo should restrict his activities and mischief to Delta state and should not draft his armed men under the cover of the Tantita security to disrupt the Governorship election in Bayelsa State.
Agadi, who described Tompolo, as merely a juju priest, a “Marchant” in the act of allegedly working for the highest bidder, pointed out that Tompolo is in the habit of deploying to the troubled front Ijaw youths to confront the Federal Government whenever the business of oil and gas is not favouring him, “whenever the business does not favour him, he will deploy youths against the Federal Government under the guise of agitating for resource Control.”
He also alluded to the fact that the refusal of Tompolo to canvass support for President Bola Tinubu during the last Presidential election was because Tompolo was not sure of the renewal of the Crude Oil Pipeline Surveillance Contract, “He worked against President Bola Tinubu. When Tinubu emerged as the APC Presidential candidate, they never worked for him. If you check the result of the Presidential election in Tompolo’s community in Delta state, you will discover that the Opposition cleared even the units and wards in Tompolo’s community.”
He noted that despite alleged pretences, the people of the Niger Delta region have discovered the treachery with which Tompolo is known, “Ijaw people can no longer be deceived by Tompolo’s antics. He has again started betraying the region by working with Chief Timipre Sylva due to the crude oil surveillance contract to undermine the security in Bayelsa state.”
He claimed that the treacherous nature of Tompolo led to the scuttling of the first joint Crude Oil pipeline surveillance contract made available to ex-militant leaders under the administration of Diezani Alison-Madueke as the former Minister of Petroleum Resources under President Goodluck Jonathan.
“All Ex-Militant leaders were awarded the crude oil pipeline surveillance job, but Tompolo allegedly went and colluded with Robert Azibola (Nephew to President Jonathan). They deceived everyone that the contract had been cancelled, and it was given to Azibola’s company for two of them to quietly handle the jobs until it was later awarded to the late Capt. Hosa. It was a great betrayal to the people of the region by Tompolo.”
