20/08/2026
THE 30,000 EX-AGITATORS MUST NOT BE POLITICALLY MISREPRESENTED
We have carefully read the statement attributed to the Convener of the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum, self-styled General Emma Satu, in which he claimed that the unprecedented turnout at a solidarity march in Yenagoa demonstrated the resolve of Niger Delta ex-agitators to actively participate in the campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term.
While we respect the constitutional right of every Nigerian to support any political candidate, political party, or campaign of their choice, we strongly object to the attempt to present the participation of a particular group or forum as the collective political position of the entire Niger Delta ex-agitator community or the 30,000 delegates of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
*Who gave them the mandate to speak for all 30,000 delegates?*
That is the fundamental question that must be answered.
If a particular forum, association, or group of individuals has decided to support President Tinubu and participate in his political campaign, that is their democratic right. Nobody is challenging that right. However, that decision cannot automatically be transformed into a declaration that all Niger Delta ex-agitators have embraced the campaign or that the 30,000 delegates have collectively endorsed President Tinubu for a second term.
The 30,000 delegates are not a political party. They are not an electoral constituency controlled by any individual, forum, convener, coordinator, or association. They are Nigerians who have their individual political beliefs, affiliations, preferences, and choices.
Some may support President Tinubu. Some may support other political candidates or political parties. Some may choose to remain politically neutral. Others may simply be concerned about their welfare and the proper implementation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. *All of these positions are legitimate.*
It is therefore misleading to use the name of “Niger Delta ex-agitators” as though every former agitator has collectively taken a political position merely because some individuals attended a campaign-related event.
SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SAME AS SUPPORTING A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN
Let us make this distinction very clear.
We are not against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are Nigerians, and we acknowledge the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
However, acknowledging the President, appreciating a government policy, or demanding that the Federal Government address the concerns of the Niger Delta does not mean that every beneficiary of the Presidential Amnesty Programme has automatically become a campaigner for the President.
Government belongs to all Nigerians, regardless of their political affiliation.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme is a government intervention programme. It should not be confused with a political campaign organization, nor should the beneficiaries of the programme be presented as a political army for any candidate.
If individuals voluntarily choose to campaign for President Tinubu, they are free to do so. But they must do so under their own identity or the identity of the organization that genuinely authorized them—not by claiming to have the mandate of all 30,000 ex-agitators without consultation.
WHERE IS THE COLLECTIVE MANDATE?
If someone claims that the 30,000 delegates have collectively resolved to campaign for President Tinubu, then the evidence should be produced.
Where was the general meeting?
Where was the consultation with the delegates?
Where was the resolution?
Who authorized the representatives?
Where is the documented mandate from the 30,000 beneficiaries?
Without such evidence, the responsible position is to say that *a particular group of ex-agitators participated in a political campaign*, rather than claiming that all Niger Delta ex-agitators have collectively endorsed that campaign.
A crowd at a political event, regardless of how large it may be, cannot automatically speak for thousands of people who were not consulted.
THE 30,000 DELEGATES HAVE INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
We must stop treating the 30,000 delegates as though they are a single political entity whose political opinions can be determined by a few individuals.
The beneficiaries are adults and citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They have the right to make independent political decisions.
No one should be pressured, manipulated, or misrepresented into supporting a political candidate simply because they are beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme.
The Amnesty Programme was created in the context of peace, rehabilitation, reintegration, training, education, and economic empowerment. Its beneficiaries should not be politically branded simply because they belong to the programme.
WE ARE NOT AGAINST PRESIDENT TINUBU
For the avoidance of doubt, our position is not an attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
We are not against the President.
We are not against the Federal Government.
We are not against anybody exercising his or her democratic right to support the President.
Our objection is to *political misrepresentation*.
If General Emma Satu and members of his forum have decided to support the President's campaign, let them openly state that they are doing so as a group. We respect their right to make that decision.
But they should not extend their political choice to people who have neither authorized them nor agreed with them.
*Your political choice is your right. It is not automatically my political choice, and it certainly cannot become the political choice of 30,000 people without their consent.*
THE AMNESTY PROGRAMME MUST NOT BECOME A POLITICAL PLATFORM
We must equally caution against turning the Presidential Amnesty Programme into a political mobilization structure.
The programme was established to address a specific historical and security challenge in the Niger Delta. Its beneficiaries deserve a programme that focuses on their welfare, training, education, empowerment, reintegration, and other legitimate needs.
The programme should not be reduced to political rallies, political endorsements, or campaign mobilization.
The moment beneficiaries are collectively branded as supporters of a particular political candidate, those who hold different political views are unfairly represented.
That is not democracy.
That is not inclusion.
And that is not respect for the individual rights of the 30,000 delegates.
DO NOT USE THE NAME OF THE 30,000 FOR POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT
We therefore call on political actors, government officials, organizations, and individuals to exercise restraint when speaking on behalf of Niger Delta ex-agitators.
Nobody should use the name of the 30,000 delegates to create the impression that the entire body has endorsed a political candidate when no such collective mandate has been obtained.
If the participants of the Yenagoa march support President Tinubu, we respect their choice.
If they want to conduct door-to-door campaigns, that is also their democratic right.
If they want to promote the Renewed Hope Agenda, they are free to do so.
But let them do it honestly under the name of their own organization and membership.
*They should not turn their personal or organizational political decision into the collective political position of the 30,000 delegates.
The Niger Delta ex-agitator community is diverse. We are not politically homogeneous, and nobody has been appointed the political voice of every former agitator simply because they organized a rally or spoke to journalists.
OUR POSITION
Our position is simple and unwavering:
We support peace.
We support development.
We support programmes that genuinely improve the lives of Niger Delta people.
We support transparency and accountability in the management of public programmes.
We support the legitimate welfare and empowerment of the 30,000 Amnesty delegates.
We support the constitutional right of every Nigerian to freely choose who to support politically.
But we *do not support the misrepresentation of the 30,000 delegates as a political bloc without their collective consent.*
Let those who want to campaign campaign.
Let those who want to support President Tinubu support him.
Let those who do not want to participate in partisan politics remain independent.
That is democracy.
The Niger Delta ex-agitators are not political property belonging to any individual or organization.
The 30,000 delegates have voices of their own, and those voices must be respected.
*Nobody should speak for 30,000 people without 30,000 people's mandate.*
Charles Warmate
Spokesman, United Ex-Agitators of Niger Delta
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