The Congress of Ogoni People has declared that oil production will not resume in Ogoniland until the governorship position of Rivers State is ceded to the Ogoni ethnic nationality. The position was contained in a communiqué issued after a national congress held at the MOSOP Peace and Freedom Centre in Bori.
The communiqué urged the Federal Government to address what it described as the political marginalisation of the Ogoni people before pursuing plans to resume oil activities in the area. The congress also resolved to support only political parties that present Ogoni candidates for the Rivers State governorship and condemned what it described as unauthorised oil-related activities in the Ban-Goi Special Area, also known as Lekuma.
The group further called for the suspension of all operations in the area pending proper negotiations and appealed to the Yeghe and Uegwere communities to embrace peace while pledging to establish a committee to resolve the conflict between both communities.
