By Attah Ede and Joy Yesufu

A socio-cultural organisation in Niger Delta region, Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC), has cautioned against attempts to use Presidential Amnesty Programme(PAP) for ethnic bargaining chip for palace politics.

The group insisted that the PAP is a Niger Delta-wide peace instrument and development and security.

The group stressed that the programme was never designed to serve the Itsekiri traditional institution or any other traditional ruler in the Niger Delta.

In a statement signed by its leader, Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, the group expressed concern over a misleading publication by one Shola Mese, whom it described to be a palace proxy, suggesting that the PAP under saying Dr. Dennis Otuaro was biased against the Itsekiri.

The group cautioned the Olu of Warri and his aides to refrain from making statements that could distort the programme?s objectives in the region.

Kemepadei noted that the Amnesty Programme was not created to serve the Itsekiri Traditional Rulers Council, nor is it an appendage of the Olu of Warri to be remotely controlled through his appointed representative.

The ICHC therefore, reiterated its full confidence in the leadership of Dr. Dennis Otuaro, who, it said, since assuming office, has worked with diligence, inclusivity, and commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the organisation, Otuaro?s track record of engaging stakeholders across ethnic divides, and ensuring fairness in programme delivery, stands as a testament to his capability and dedication to the beneficiaries.

He explained that PAP was designed to address the needs of its documented 30,000 beneficiaries; delegates drawn from across the Niger Delta region, without ethnic or sectional bias.

"It is therefore inappropriate and unhelpful for any traditional authority through proxies like Dr. Mese to attempt to impose influence or create the perception that the PAP is subject to their directives.

"The programme does not answer to the Itsekiri Palace, and its operational focus remains firmly on the empowerment, reintegration, and welfare of its registered beneficiaries across all Niger Delta communities.

"We caution the Olu of Itsekiri and his proxies to refrain from actions or statements that could fan the embers of discord or present a distorted narrative about the PAP?s operations.

"Such a path, if replicated by other traditional rulers, risks undermining the fragile peace and stability of the region; peace which is essential for governance, development, and even the effective administration of traditional domains.

"We therefore urge His Majesty to respect the sanctity of his office and exercise the moral restraint befitting the honour and responsibility that comes with the revered Itsekiri throne", the statement said.

The Izon Cultural Heritage Centre explained that the era of disarmament under the PAP has long passed, and the Itsekiri people:like every other ethnic nationality, must acknowledge that fact.

"The current phase is reintegration for already documented beneficiaries, not an avenue to reopen old disarmament claims or alter established beneficiary lists?

"In addition, the ICHC vehemently strongly condemns the recent remarks by Dr. Shola Mese, who has attempted to mislead the public by suggesting that the PAP under Dr. Dennis Otuaro is skewed against the Itsekiri people.

"Such claims are not only false but are calculated to stir unnecessary ethnic tension. While Dr. Mese claims to have been involved in the disarmament phase years ago, that era is over.

"The PAP is now in its reintegration phase, which operates strictly on the basis of the existing list of beneficiaries, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, and others alike without room for ethnic favoritism, blackmail or political manipulation.

"We remind Dr. Mese that his appointment as Sole Itsekiri Representative to the PAP Office in 2024, courtesy of the Olu of itsekiris recommendation, does not confer authority to dictate programme policy or undermine the Administrator, the PAP can never answer to the palace", they said.

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