The Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum has challenged demands for the removal of Presidential Amnesty Programme administrator Dennis Brutu Otuaro, arguing that leadership disputes over the initiative should be addressed through evidence-based scrutiny rather than ethnic or political considerations.

The group stated its position in a release issued to journalists in Uyo on Monday, urging the Federal Government to keep Otuaro in office as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, according to New Telegraph.

As part of its defence, the forum pointed to the programme’s reported overseas postgraduate scholarship placements. It said 243 young people from the Niger Delta had been deployed for postgraduate studies abroad in 2026, with 150 recently sent to universities in the United Kingdom.

The beneficiaries, according to the group, are studying disciplines ranging from cybersecurity, software engineering and data science to law, public health, oil and gas engineering, fintech analytics and construction engineering management.

The forum argued that educational and vocational opportunities should remain central to the amnesty initiative, noting that its purpose extends beyond monthly financial support to include rehabilitation, skills development and the preparation of beneficiaries for sustainable livelihoods.

It also rejected the notion that the programme should be controlled by any particular ethnic nationality. While recognising the historical role of the Ijaw people in the Niger Delta struggle, the group argued that the federal initiative serves the entire region and that leadership opportunities should not be restricted along ethnic lines.

On allegations against the programme’s administration, the forum said complaints should be directed to the relevant authorities for transparent investigation. It maintained that genuine accountability was necessary but warned against campaigns it believed were motivated by personal, sectional or political interests.

The group further argued that difficulties involving stipends, funding and beneficiary arrangements could not automatically be blamed on the administrator, as such matters were also shaped by federal policies, budgetary provisions and government approvals.

It called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to sustain its engagement with the region and urged National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to continue supporting efforts aimed at preserving peace and stability.

The statement was endorsed by Elder Imoh Okoko and Sunny Affiah of the Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum, alongside representatives of the Niger Delta Volunteers, Niger Delta Watchdogs, Niger Delta Movement for Justice and Niger Delta Liberation Movement.

The forum urged stakeholders to prioritise peace and development in the Niger Delta, maintaining that disagreements over the Presidential Amnesty Programme should be handled through appropriate channels without undermining regional stability.