While dismissing the existence of the group, Saidu said Chief Clark remains a very respected and patriotic nationalist in the country.
The Arewa leader further stated that Clark was among those who fought alongside Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye for the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
He expressed shock reading the position of the group in a national newspaper, emphasizing that members of the group cleverly ensured their names were not in the publication since they knew they were a faceless body allegedly sponsored by politicians determined to mischievously drag the revered name of Chief Clark into the ugly politics in Rivers state.
Saidu said Chief Clark has a reputation for being on the side of truth at all times in the country, noting that he was a very dear friend of the north.
“It’s a faceless sponsored group used to hurl insults. They don’t know that they attacked the wrong person this time. Chief Clark is a man who has contributed to the unity of this country.
”Chief Clark fights for everybody. As somebody close to him, I was Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye’s aide and Chief Clark was his deputy so I know him very well. Chief Clark worked with Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye to fight for the creation of NDDC. If he tells NDDC what to do he has the right to do so. They fought using the South-South People’s Conference, SSPC for NDDC.
“Clark is a nationalist. I am the leader of the Arewa Initiative for Peaceful Co-existence in southern Nigeria. So who are those Arewa youth who spoke against Clark? They started without any name. They are faceless youths. We don’t have any youth. There is no name in their story. There is no organisation such as Arewa Youths Initiative. They don’t exist, they are faceless. We condemn them for the attack on Chief Edwin Clark, our elder statesman,” he said.
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