2027: Amnesty boss urges IYC to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second term bid

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, has implored the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to mobilize total support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Otuaro made the call in a statement issued on Monday and signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Igoniko Oduma.

According to the statement, Otuaro spoke on Sunday when the newly inaugurated 10th leadership of the IYC, led by its President, Doubra Okotete, paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Abuja.

The PAP Administrator emphasized that a second term for President Tinubu serves the strategic, long-term interests of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people.

He equally urged the IYC leadership to guard against division in the region and mobilise support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

“My appeal to the IYC is that nothing should divide us. 2027 is already here. Let us back the President and mobilise for him to win a second term.

“We should not allow anybody to cause division among us or trade us for a new hope. It is within the Ijaw strategic national interest to support the President to secure victory,” he said.

Otuaro also commended the IYC and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta for their cooperation and support for the PAP’s peacebuilding efforts in the region.

He described the support as massive and encouraging, noting that the stakeholders had consistently expressed solidarity with his peace initiatives and reforms aimed at repositioning the programme.

“Many well-meaning stakeholders of the Niger Delta, including the IYC, are in support of the direction we have taken.

“Their support and cooperation have been massive and encouraging, working together with the Office to sustain peace and stability, and the generations we are preparing for a greater tomorrow in the Niger Delta through huge scholarships,” he stated.

Otuaro said only a few selfish elements remained unsettled by the reforms implemented by the PAP, particularly the expansion of its scholarship scheme and the deployment of beneficiaries to onshore and offshore universities.

He disclosed that 8,700 beneficiaries were currently studying in-country, while more than 270 had been sent to offshore institutions.

He added that 93 beneficiaries were deployed in January and May, while another 150 were scheduled to be dispatched in August and September.

Otuaro said Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were pleased with the efforts being made by the PAP to consolidate sustainable peace in the Niger Delta and expand scholarship opportunities for youths in the region.

He thanked the IYC leadership for the visit, stressing that sustaining peace and stability in the region remained a collective responsibility.

Okotete, on his part, said the visit was in recognition of the PAP’s “unprecedented success in the education and empowerment of Niger Delta youths” under Otuaro’s leadership.

He commended the PAP administrator for his commitment and judicious application of funds, which he said had enabled thousands of youths from the region to access quality education.

Okotete also expressed the council’s readiness to work with Otuaro and explore areas of greater partnership between the PAP and the IYC.