“Baseless allegations” – Group dismiss claims of FG appointee working against Tinubu

The Niger-Delta Environmental Justice Coalition has strongly condemned what it described as a calculated smear campaign against Dr. Dennis Otuaro, Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), labeling recent accusations against him as “baseless, malicious, and divisive.”

In a press statement issued on May 20, 2025, and signed by its spokesman, Comrade Abalagha Adawari, the coalition dismissed claims by the self-styled Warri Media Group as “a desperate ploy to stoke ethnic tension and derail peace efforts in the region.”

The group specifically rejected the allegation that Dr. Otuaro’s presence at the remembrance ceremony of Major Isaac Adaka Boro in Warri was a “provocative overreach.”

It argued that Boro, an Ijaw nationalist and revered Niger Delta icon, “belongs to the entire region, not to any one ethnic group.”

“To suggest that commemorating such a hero in Warri is an act of ethnic provocation is not only absurd but a deliberate distortion of history.”

Adawari stated. “Major Boro’s legacy transcends ethnic lines and should be honored across the Niger Delta without gatekeeping.”

The coalition also dismissed as false reports that Dr. Otuaro did not support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 general election.

According to the group, Otuaro “tirelessly mobilized support across the creeks and communities for Tinubu and the APC,” and continues to deliver on the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda through impactful PAP programs.

On allegations that Dr. Otuaro sponsored splinter groups to protest alleged interference by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in INEC’s delineation activities in Warri, the coalition responded firmly: “He holds the First Lady in the highest regard. The attempt to link him to such protests is nothing short of character assassination.”

Similarly, the group described as “utterly laughable” accusations that Dr. Otuaro had a hand in the removal of Mrs. Edith E. Eyesan, an Itsekiri daughter and former Executive Vice President (Upstream) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd). They labelled the claim a “reckless fabrication aimed at inciting ethnic tension.”

The Niger-Delta Environmental Justice Coalition stated that Dr. Otuaro remains focused on the PAP’s core mandate of reintegration and peacebuilding, and will not be distracted by “faceless groups peddling misinformation and division.”

“We urge all stakeholders, traditional rulers, community leaders, and civil society organizations, to reject this growing trend of ethnic blackmail and media attacks. The unity and development of the Niger Delta must come first,” Adawari concluded.

The group reaffirmed its full support for Dr. Otuaro and called on Niger Deltans to remain vigilant and united in the face of efforts to undermine peace and progress in the region.