He was invited to clear the air over the inciting comments he has been making about the 2015 elections.
Asari Dokubo
Asari Dokubo
His invitation by the DSS, observers said, followed criticism of the agency that it often acted in a knee-jerk manner to arrest opposition elements critical of the Jonathan administration, while looking the other way, when the ‘president’s friends’, make incendiary statements.
Dokubo told journalists as he was about to go into the expansive headquarters of the secret police this morning that he was invited by the DSS and did not know if he will be arrested. The Niger Delta militant however said he is not afraid of arrest as he has been arrested 73 times before.
He was still at the office of the DSS as at the time of writing this story.
DSS has been under pressure to arrest the NDPVF leader following his recent assertions in newspaper interview that the current insecurity and tension in the country would be a child’s play if President Jonathan fails to win the 2015 election, even if the contest is free and fair.
“Jonathan cannot be defeated, they cannot defeat him, they don’t have the right, every part of the country must have equal stake in the presidency of the country,” Asari said in the interview.
He also advised the two main Nigerian political parties, the opposition All Progressives Congress and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to ensure that they pick their presidential candidates for the 2015 election from the South-south region where the President hails from.
According to him, Jonathan must be allowed to rule for eight years. “If it is war the North wants, we are ready for them because Jonathan must complete the mandatory constitutionally allowable two terms of eight years.
“At home, we have regrouped and we have put our people at alert. In less than one hour, the way we would strike, the world will be shocked. If anybody does anything against Jonathan, we will retaliate. What we will do will shock the whole world. We will cripple the economy of the country not only in the creeks, but also on the nation’s territorial waters, no vessel will be allowed to enter Nigeria’s territorial waters,” said Dokubo.
There have been calls for the arrest of the warlord following the interview and in view of the secret police recently grilling of Nasir el-Rufai, former Minister of Federal Capital Territory over a statement the Service deemed to be inciting. DSS had invited and briefly detained el-Rufai, Deputy National Secretary of APC over the statement.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, APC described as reckless, irresponsible and totally condemnable the threat by Mujahedeen Asari-Dokubo to levy war against Nigeria even if President Goodluck Jonathan is defeated even in a free and fair election in 2015.
The opposition party therefore called for the arrest of the NDPVF leader. ”There is no better test of the fairness, non-partisanship and professionalism of the SSS than this Asari-Dokubo’s threat to levy war on his own country. If Asari-Dokubo is not above the laws of the land, he must be hauled before the SSS, just like the service did to our Deputy National Secretary, to explain his statement,” APC said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
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