The Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative (IPDI) has expressed confidence in the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, High Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro, describing calls for his removal as attempts by “attention seekers, blackmailers and political hustlers” to undermine the programme.

In a press statement dated October 18, IPDI National President, Comrade Ozobo Austin, alleged that those campaigning against Otuaro were motivated by envy and selfish interests. 

He claimed some were opposed to reforms introduced under the Administrator, while others were seeking to destabilise the programme for personal gain.

Ozobo said Otuaro had strengthened accountability, addressed leakages and refocused the programme on its mandate of reintegrating and empowering former agitators and Niger Delta youths. 

"It is public knowledge that since his appointment, Dr. Otuaro has sanitized the system, blocked leakages, restored accountability and refocused the programme to its original mandate of reintegrating, empowering and uplifting ex-agitators and the Niger Delta youths," Ozobo said.

The IPDI President alleged that critics were attacking the administrator because they could no longer benefit from what he described as the programme’s former corrupt system.

"Those fighting him are those who can no longer feed fat on the old corrupt system. They have resorted to blackmail and media attacks to distract him," he added.

He urged the public, the Presidency and Niger Delta stakeholders to disregard the calls for Otuaro’s sack, saying they did not represent the interests of the Ijaw nation or the region.

The group passed a vote of confidence in Otuaro and appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to continue supporting the Administrator, who he described as one of the programme’s best administrators in recent times.