PAP Leadership Slams Politically Motivated Petition, Third-Phase Ex-Agitators Reject ‘Gbaramatu Monopoly’ Claims.
The National Leadership of the Third Phase Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has firmly dismissed a recent publication alleging marginalisation and ethnic bias in the administration of the Programme under Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, describing the claims as politically sponsored, misleading and driven by selfish interests rather than the collective good of the Niger Delta.
Speaking on behalf of third-phase beneficiaries, the National Chairman of the Third Phase Presidential Amnesty Programme, General Elaye ThankGod Dollar Slaboh, cautioned ex-agitators and the general public against allowing themselves to be used as instruments by what he termed “self-centred leaders and desperate politicians” whose relevance has waned. According to General Elaye, the petition and accompanying publication—credited to Monday Excel and others—should be disregarded in its entirety, as it represents personal grievances disguised as regional advocacy.
“These same individuals crying foul today were once at the helm of affairs during the administration of Dr. Kingsley Kuku. At that time, they behaved like untouchable gods, acting as though power and privilege would remain in their hands forever. Today’s outcry is nothing more than envy and bitterness over progress they can no longer control,” General Elaye ThankGod Dollar Slaboh, National Chairman of the Third Phase Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), stated.
He emphasized that the Presidential Amnesty Programme does not belong to any ethnic group, phase or individual, warning that attempts to inflame the polity with divisive narratives risk undermining the fragile peace painstakingly built in the Niger Delta.
General Elaye further alleged that several of the petitioners now posturing as champions of justice are themselves guilty of long-standing exploitation of their followers, calling on the PAP office and relevant security agencies to investigate camp leaders named in the petition. He alleged that some of these leaders have failed to pay beneficiaries the approved ₦65,000 monthly stipends for years.
Reacting to claims of ethnic favoritism and exclusion, the third-phase leadership described such allegations as reckless and unsupported, noting that the current PAP administration continues to engage beneficiaries across all phases while pursuing reforms focused on accountability, sustainability and inclusion.
General Elaye commended the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, for what he described as focused, transparent and progressive leadership, noting that the Administrator inherited deep-seated structural challenges and competing interests.
“Dr. Otuaro is doing tremendously well under very challenging circumstances. We sincerely thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing a capable and disciplined administrator who is not beholden to old power blocs,” he said.
He concluded by urging ex-agitators across all phases to remain calm, law-abiding and united, and to resist attempts by disgruntled elites to weaponise the Amnesty Programme for personal or political bargaining.
“The future of the Niger Delta lies in peace, dialogue and genuine development—not recycled petitions by individuals who believe the Programme is their private estate,” Elaye declared.
