This rejoinder has become necessary because having carefully perused and analysed the article of the above caption by one Chief Andy Asowata published in Niger Delta Voice/Voice of Delta, we have come to the conclusion that it was a piece put together with only one sinister motive: TO DESTABILISE THE UNITY OF THE ANIOMA NATION.

We as a people cannot sit with arms folded while a few individuals continue with their calculated abuse of our land and people. Let us start by reaffirming that the Anioma unity is not built on the agenda of 2015 mandate and definitely not negotiable. We are a people who have over time discovered the uniqueness of who we are and have developed a wiser understanding of what fate has for us through God, Nature and Man in unity of purpose and identity, a people put together by Providence under one roof and so, have decided to faithfully keep this identity intact in oneness and love.

We would not have bothered much about the rantings of people like Andy Asowata whose preoccupation is centered around LIES and PROPAGANDA but for the fact that from activities of some few months back, it is certain that almost all the meaningless and irrelevant people from Delta Central zone have embarked on this dirty lane of deploying clandestine and laughable means of attempting to bring DISUNITY within the Anioma nation.

We are however, confident that the good people of Ndokwa nation and Anioma land generally, would know better to disperse the stupid, irresponsible and ridiculous bait thrown at not only the Ndokwa nation but the whole of Anioma by Andy Asowata in his defamatory article. The only reason he made such statement was to see if he will like his ilk lurking cowardly but menacingly in the shadows, breed confusion and division amongst us. It is reckless and childishly deceptive for him and his likes to imagine that they can use the Governorship seat of the state to tear the Anioma nation apart. We reiterate here that Delta state belongs to all those found in that entity called Delta State and it is sheer stupidity for anyone to assume that only their zones are the original Deltans.

We want to remind all that Delta state was not just created yesterday and if we may ask the likes of Andy Asowata; “What has been the position of his ‘DELTA PROVINCE’ concerning the Ndokwas before now”? It is considered a childish act and an insult on the good and intelligent people of Ndokwa nation and Aniomas at large for Andy Asowata and his cohorts either from Delta Central or Delta Province to think that they can use the perceived coming power struggle for the UNITY HOUSE, ASABA, to remember now that the Ndokwas were part of their old Delta Province more than they are to their kith and kin in Anioma. We demand from the likes of

Mr. Andy Asowata to show to us what they have done in the past 22 years for ‘The Ndokwas’.

We wish to make it clear here to everyone that this sudden realisation by the likes of Mr Asowata that the Ndokwa nation has been a part and parcel of them in the old Delta Province is a calculated ploy to destabilise the STRONG and TOWERING United Anioma dream of being a responsible part of governance in a state that they are a bonafide part of. The other laughable argument that Anioma has the capital and so cannot and should not produce a Governor is just what it is; LAUGHABLE, because that will be tantamount to also declaring that in a State like EDO, no Bini man must be Governor since they have the capital! But his was a futile attempt at catching the air in his grand design, for never have there been seen or expected in the state in the past, this unalloyed Anioma unity of which some uninformed brother ethnic nations of Delta state are jittery about now and which they have to contend with.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Ndokwa land particularly and Anioma in general, we must NOT fall prey to their devilish and deceptive intentions and devises. We have soldiered on all these while, without them realising that we were once in the same province and so, we should not allow them to sneak into us now to destroy the fruit of our over 61 years of hope and faith. We must be prepared for them because many more devious baits will still come. They will dance their ‘abracadabraic’ dance in so many ways to disrupt our UNITY by dangling poisoned carrots before us, but we must rise above these carrots as they come and neither eat nor accept them for they come with a huge prize that we cannot afford or attempt to pay at this point in time.

We must all stand positively on Anioma and her dreams.

ON ANIOMA, WE STAND . . . ANIOMA, OUR UNIQUE LAND.

•Signed by Akamesike Manuel O'coney Chief Messenger; Comrade Marcus Enudi.
Delta State Chief Messenger; Comrade Victorio EssEm, National Public Relation Messenger; Comrade Smart Ajaja, International Relations Messenger.