He is one of President Goodluck Jonathan's most vocal supporter but it seems Asari Dokubo is now agreeing with Governor Rotimi Amaechi that President Goodlcuk Jonathan has failed South-South and Nigerians.
Asari, at a press conference in Abuja, declared that President Jonathan has lost the support of his political base due to the failure of his government to deliver on its promises. The ex-militant leader said:
“I want to start with an Ijaw proverb, which says: the eyes watched its seven children to death. Instead of advising them, it was just looking at them until they died, while the mouth talked its only child to life and success.
“We have continued as Ijaw people and the entire Niger Delta and South-South to support the presidency of President Goodluck Jonathan, but a time has come when silence cannot be golden.
“We mainly speak out in issues that are very critical to the survival of our people, the survival of the people of the South-South and the South-East, which happens to be the political base of Goodluck Jonathan.
“Jonathan is surrounded by very greedy people who are only in the Presidency to enrich themselves at the expense of Goodluck himself.
Asari said that it would be tough for Jonathan to win the presidential election in 2015 if he decides to run based on the poor showing of his administration.
He said that his decision to speak out was for him and others who are ardent supporters of Jonathan not to be blamed when the President fails to win in 2015.
Asari added: “This brings us to another Kalabari proverb, which says: where there are elders, a goat cannot be allowed to deliver tied to a stick. If we don’t talk and we continue to brush it aside, tomorrow we will be blamed and people will say: Mujahid Dokubo-Asari was around when Goodlcuk Jonathan was president and he didn’t talk.
“Then I will be an accomplice and accessory after the fact. It is alarming because the South-South must have its uninterrupted eight years tenure, which is constitutional.
“But with how things are going under Jonathan’s watch, we are afraid that we may not be able to have our eight years tenure because there will be no magic about it if it is going to be one man one vote.”
Asari said he will continue to speak out despite the fact that he had benefited from Jonathan, adding that one of those causing trouble for Jonathan remains the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godsday Orubebe.
He said: “I have benefited immensely from Goodluck Jonathan with my stake but benefit alone is not enough to make me to keep quiet when the period is very challenging for our people.
“So, some of us are tempted to ask this question: why are all these things happening? Why has the President allow some ministers like Godsday Orubebe to continue in government?
“Everyday people die on the East-West Road. If Orubebe is incompetent as he has shown himself to be, he should be removed. Nobody voted for Orubebe.
“And why is Orubebe so important to the President that he can’t remove him even in the face of his obvious incompetence and several allegation to corruption? We feel very ashamed and embarrassed.
“Orubebe was one of us. He was attending meetings with us, sleeping in the ground with us, entering night bus with us and we nominated him to be appointed a minister.
“We have gone to him and complained to him that we don’t like they way things are going in his ministry and told him that if the President leaves in 2015 without the completion of the East-West Road, we are finished.
“And the man keeps telling us there is no money. [But] when IBB was there, there was money. When Abacha was there, there was money. When others were there, there was money.
“How come the money disappeared when Jonathan got there? Jonathan and Orubebe will account for the death in the East-West Road.
"I have a feeling that Fulani man Buhari would have done more for Niger-delta than Jonathan has done so far Jonathan has done nothing for Niger Delta actually. It is getting more and more difficult to support him."
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