MOSOP Members Reject Ben Naanen’s Cancellation of Elections, Allege Shell’s Influence

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People Says the plan by the Caretaker Committee to cancel all elections previously conducted before January 4, 2012 is part of a plan by the Shell Petroleum Developing Company to weaken the ranks of the organization[MOSOP] and facilitate Shell’s re-entry into Ogoniland.

This was made known yesterday at the end of a meeting of MOSOP’S chapter leaders and Coordinators in Bori.

Spokesman for the group and Chairman of the MOSOP’s Kingdom Coordinators Forum, Frank Jonah who spoke after the meeting called on Ogoni people not to participate in any Shell-sponsored elections as announced by Prof. Ben Naanen on November 10, 2012 at the All Saint’s Cathedral, Bori. He noted that MOSOP will conduct elections to fill the remaining positions within the Affiliates and National Executive Council when the current spate of Shell-induced attacks on her meetings subsides and the organization’s members are allowed to associate freely.

Mr. Jonah cited the decision of the MOSOP Steering committee which was made known on January 4, 2012 by former President Ledum Mitee while announcing the formation of the Caretaker Committee. Ledum Mitee had said that due to inconclusive elections, a caretaker committee was put in place to supervise the conduct of the remaining elections of MOSOP. He also said that the plan to cancel MOSOP’s elections and infuse Shell-sponsored agents into MOSOP to facilitate the company’s re-entry plan will not be acceptable to the Ogoni people.

While questioning the authority of a Caretaker Committee to act against the decisions of the Steering Committee of MOSOP, Mr. Jonah said that neither “Prof. Ben Naanen nor his committee have the authority to cancel elections that have been successfully conducted in all kingdoms”. He noted that in deciding to form a Caretaker Committee, the Steering Committee had met and accepted all elections so far conducted and required the Caretaker to conclude the remaining elections. This decision was conveyed by former President Mr. Ledum Mitee on January 4, 2012.

The only programme of MOSOP at this time, therefore, is to conclude outstanding elections and hand over on January 4, 2013.

Reacting to remarks by Prof. Ben Naanen on November 10 at the All Saint’s Cathedral where he[Naanen] declared that the MOSOP Coordinators are his enemies, Mr. Jonah said “now that Prof. Naanen has openly declared his hatred for those who genuinely stand for the interest of the Ogoni people, it should be on record that the Ogoni people will hold him responsible for the safety of the Coordinators and MOSOP members”.

“MOSOP members have recently come under attacks from agents of Shell. Their meetings have been attacked by hoodlums in Beeri and again in Kpor in September and October 2012 respectively.

The MOSOP Coordinators are recognized constitutionally as Vice Presidents of MOSOP and heads of various Ogoni kingdoms.

In a recent statement on November 9, 2012, the MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators have criticized the Caretaker Committee for being silent over Shell’s recent incursions into Ogoniland and the silence of the Caretaker Committee over recent killings in Sogho communities of Ogoni by the Rivers State Government.

It will be recalled that the call by the MOSOP Coordinators for a boycott of the November 10 events in Bori yielded results as the venue of the event was totally empty, a situation that indicated that the Ogoni people still believe in the Coordinators and not the Caretaker Committee.

Source: OgoniNews

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