There is yet no end in sight to the crisis rocking the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), as a peace meeting convened to resolve the crisis by United Kingdom chapter MOSOP President, Dr. Lazarus Tamana, was boycotted by MOSOP outgoing President, Legborsi Pyagbara and Fegalo Nsuke, who is laying claim as the “elected” MOSOP President.
The meeting, however, was attended by another contender to the office of MOSOP President, Mr. Bari-ara Kpalap.
Others who also attended the meeting included prominent Ogoni leaders, past MOSOP executives, clerics, representatives of security agencies and retired military officers of Ogoni extraction and MOSOP outgoing deputy President, Dr. Jonah Chujur, among others.
In his opening remarks, the United Kingdom chapter MOSOP chapter President thanked all those who came for the meeting. He, however, said that while some of those who were invited to the meeting could not come, some others who were invited neither took their calls nor returned them when they were called to be reminded about the invitation for the meeting.
In his remarks, Mr. Bari-ara Kpalap, who is one of the contenders to the office of MOSOP President, gave an account of what happened in the MOSOP between 2012 and 2015 when two elections that brought Legborsi Pyagbara to office were conducted and what the MOSOP Constitution says about steering committee meetings which according to him, were last held on July 3, 2018.
He said that he had offered solution to resolving the crisis in MOSOP, adding that he attended previous peace meetings convened to resolve the crisis in the MOSOP.
On his part, the outgoing MOSOP deputy President, Dr. Chujur, said that the people of Eleme have been marginalized in the MOSOP, saying that tilldate, no one from Eleme had become MOSOP President.
Also speaking, the coordinator of chapter heads of MOSOP, Mr. Bobs, said that he and other chapter heads in MOSOP have approached a Rivers State High Court in Eleme to seek resolution of the crisis.
In their contribution, the National Youth Council of the Ogoni People (NYCOP), which is the youth wing of the MOSOP, blamed the lingering crisis on the alleged tenure elongation plan and failure to initiate a smooth transition process by the current MOSOP leadership.
Speaking through their Secretary-General, Mr. Emmanuel Barinuazor, the MOSOP youth wing called on elders in Ogoniland to quickly resolve the crisis, saying that they would no longer fold their hands and watch the MOSOP get destroyed by some individuals.
The conveners of the peace meeting assured that they would hold regular meetings until the crisis in the MOSOP is resolved.
