The Ogoni Community Development Network expresses its endorsement of the sack and replacement of the MOSOP president Mr. Saro L. Pyagbara on the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Indigenous Peoples. The Ogoni group sees the replacement as victory for human rights and democracy and also an expression of the global body’s rejection of the anti-democratic actions of Mr.. Pyagbara.
Pyagbara whose tenure as MOSOP president expires in December this year has failed to constitute an electoral body to commence elections that will produce his successor and had been scheming to remain in office beyond the constitutionally approved period.
Below is the text of a letter sent to the U.N Secretary General to express our delight over Pyagbara’s replacement:
His Excellency,
António Guterres
Secretary General
United Nations
Dear Sir,
The Ogoni Community Development Network (OCDN) representing the indigenous peoples of Ogoniland, Nigeria, do hereby express our endorsement of your decision to replace Mr. Saro Legborsi Pyagbara, president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) on the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Indigenous Peoples.
We consider your decision a victory for human rights and democracy given the fact Pyagbara has shown strong an inclination to destroy the democratic principles upon which MOSOP was founded.
Just to intimate you on what informs our decision, Pyagbara as president of MOSOP has served two tenures as since January 2013. He was reelected in December 2015.
Based on the constitution of MOSOP (herein attached), Pyagbara’s tenure comes to an end in December 2018.
Unfortunately, Pyagbara has failed to constitute the electoral committee to commence elections that will produce his successor. The electoral committee is traditionally constituted in July of the election year. He instead had been scheming for constitutional changes to give him powers to extend his tenure.
These actions do not only violate the rights of the Ogoni people to choose their leaders in MOSOP but also endangers the democratic foundations and principles of MOSOP..
Pyagbara’s delays in commencing elections in MOSOP is creating some uneasiness in Ogoni especially for a human rights organization whose leader is turning dictatorial.
We commend your replacement of Pyagbara and will further intimate you on developments in MOSOP
Warmest regards,
Johnson Kuele
President
Ogoni Community Development Network,
Green River, Wyoming
U.S.A
Source: TNV