PAP:“Urhobo Mayor Akpodoro Blasts House Committee: ‘Leave Otuaro Alone, Chase Bandits, Not Peace!’”
By Paul Ebi
In a blistering statement that has sent shockwaves through political circles, His Excellency, Dr. Eshanekpe Israel, the Mayor of Urhobo Land and Head of the Association of Urhobo Mayoral Family Crown (AUMFC), popularly known as Akpodoro, has slammed the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts over its relentless scrutiny of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
Speaking from Ughelli, Delta State, Mayor Akpodoro accused the Committee, chaired by Mr. Bamidele Salam, of engaging in “selective accountability” that risks destabilizing the fragile peace in the Niger Delta. “Why is the threat of arrest being issued in this yuletide season?” he thundered. “Otuaro won’t give Christmas handouts to anyone but would rather invest the budget of his office in the lives of our people!”
Akpodoro urged the lawmakers to redirect their investigative zeal toward governors mismanaging security votes while the nation reels under banditry, terrorism, and rising criminal activities. He hailed Dr. Dennis Otuaro, PAP Coordinator, as “the best administrator since the inception of the Amnesty Programme,” commending his relentless efforts to stabilize the Niger Delta and ensure the welfare of ex-militants through vocational training, scholarships, and other interventions.
“Allow him to deliver good service to our people,” Akpodoro insisted, “while you bring your investigative strength to bear on those managing the country’s security votes. Direct your threats of arrest to those mismanaging security votes and not Otuaro.”
The fiery statement comes as tensions rise between federal oversight bodies and the Niger Delta’s local leadership, with many questioning the priorities of national lawmakers at a time when security crises continue to grip multiple states.
With Christmas around the corner, Mayor Akpodoro’s warning resonates loudly: leave peace efforts untouched, or risk igniting political and social unrest in one of Nigeria’s most sensitive regions.
