Niger Delta ex-agitator, Amagbein, rallies support for Tinubu, urges Ijaws to shun manipulative political rhetoric

Niger Delta ex-agitator, Amagbein, rallies support for Tinubu, urges Ijaws to shun manipulative political rhetoric Niger Delta ex-agitator, the self-styled General Endurance Amagbein, has emphasised the need for grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying that if President Bola Tinubu must win, all pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) groups should focus on reaching out at that level. Amagbein said the core of every successful political support base was mobilising support from the nooks and crannies by giving people reasons to support their candidate, adding that this was the focus of his agenda. In a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the ex-agitator, also known as Adaka Boro the Second, said he had sustained unwavering grassroots support for the Renewed Hope Agenda over the past few years by reaching out to communities and friends in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties. He said the grassroots mobilisation would culminate in massive votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections. The APC chieftain said he and his supporters would replicate the numerous rallies and grassroots programmes initiated since the 2023 general elections ahead of the 2027 polls. Amagbein said that, given the programmes, policies and other interventions President Tinubu had undertaken in the Niger Delta under the Renewed Hope Agenda, he was certain that the President would secure at least 97 per cent of the overall votes in the region. However, he urged stakeholders not to leave anything to chance, saying every Tinubu supporter must sustain the tempo and redouble efforts to ensure the President's victory. The ex-militant leader also distanced himself from what he described as political manoeuvrings in recent times, which he said had resulted in the 'capturing of sacred traditional institutions' in an attempt to raise traditional platforms to overawe the Federal Government and sustain selfish political gains. Amagbein lamented that Ijaw traditional stools and platforms had been politicised by the same self-styled 'Government', thereby making them unable to speak truth to power when it mattered most. He stressed that no individual should be allowed to hijack the common struggle of the Ijaws through systematic support for preferred candidates in the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Ijaw National Congress (INC), merely to weaponise traditional stools against fellow Ijaws in the name of politics. Despite the challenges, Amagbein reiterated his commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda and promised to continue working independently for President Tinubu's re-election. He said even if his fellow Ijaw brothers chose to downplay his contributions to the Tinubu administration, he remained committed to working for the government of the day. He expressed confidence that the fruits of his grassroots mobilisation would yield results in the 2027 elections. Amagbein said he did not know how to abandon anything he had committed himself to, stressing that his support for the Tinubu-led administration remained unwavering.