Democratic Party (PDP), Delta State, Elder Godsday Orubebe, in this interview spoke on the re-
election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, his governorshipbid and other issues. Excerpts:
What do you think informed President Good luck Jonathan’s reluctance to seek re-election? I played a key role in the election of Jonathan in 2011.
I am still
playing that key role to sustain the
tempo to make him by the grace
of God, the president of Nigeria
again to complete his eight years.
I do not think the President is
reluctant to come out again to
contest, there is always a time for
every activity. He is waiting for
the right time to come out.
That is what he did in 2011 and so
at the right time, which is not too
far again, Mr. President will come
and declare for the presidency of
this country again. The President
surely will contest. That he is
contesting for re-election is non-
negotiable. Even if he was not
going to contest, we will draft him
to come and complete his eight
years.
This is the first time somebody
from the South-South has come
on board to preside over the
affairs of this country. It is only
reasonable to allow him to
complete his two-term of eight
years, particularly when he is
doing very well to take Nigeria to
the next level.
How is he taking Nigeria to the
next level?
From 1960 to the time he took
over, power infrastructure was
completely dead. He brought in
the private sector, he is working
hard. There is a power master
plan now on how Nigeria can get
power so that we can key into the
global industrial revolution. Today,
the trains that were dead are
working, our roads are better, the
East-West Road is about to be
completed.
In the education sector, there is
no government in recent time that
has given concern to the
education of young men and
women. The other day when the
education minister was having a
meeting with the vice-chancellors
and when they gave their reports,
I was marveled that a lot is being
done in our educational
institutions.
So many activities, economic
empowerment programmes are
put in place for our young men
and women to keep them busy,
engaged and employed. This
president has done very well in all
areas. Talk about aviation and
agriculture, there are a lot of
programmes being enjoyed by
grassroots farmers.
Jonathan has done very well, he is
moving this country forward. My
appeal to the rest of the country is
that Mr. President should be
allowed to complete his eight
years. For me, it is not negotiable
and Mr. President must have to
complete his eight years to give to
Nigeria what God has invested in
him.
How do you react to the
speculation that the President
is worried by the opposition
from the North and that that
has prevented him from
declaring his re-election bid?
Many people do not actually know
the kind of president tthey have.
If you get close to the President
the way some of us have been
close to him, you will know that
the President is not jittery but he
is calculating. A president who
believes in the rule of law and
that as president, he needs to
show good example and that is
what he is doing.
He cannot come out to declare
now considering the regulations
put in place by INEC. Once the
time comes, Mr. President will do
it and everybody will see it. He
did it in 2011 and he is going to do
it again.
Do you think Jonathan can win
if you look at the scenario in
the country now?
Mr. President is going to win
massively again and again.
Nigerians are becoming more
aware. Nigerians are aware that
our railways have started working;
educational institutions are getting
attention; airports are better;
agriculture is seen as a serious
business now, even at local level
and that things are working. And
so for the sustenance of what is
on ground, Nigerians will definitely
vote for Jonathan.
What is happening to your
aspiration for the governorship
of Delta State?
It is on and I am waiting for the
INEC’s timetable to declare to the
good people of Delta State that I
am humbly willing to come and
offload what God has deposited in
me from the councilor level to the
presidency level. God has done
very well for me and it is
only reasonable that I should
offload what God has invested
in me.
With the people of Delta State, we
are bringing a new concept of
governance, concept of love and
we all work together. We will take
from the past activities of the
previous governments and we will
build on them to be able to
contribute our own quota towards
the development of the state.
Do you think it is right for the
state government to embark on
new projects when it has barely
one year left?
The only time Governor Emmanuel
Uduaghan should stop working is
the day he hands over and that is
May 29, 2015. Government is a
continuum. If that is what they are
saying now, then immediately
after swearing in and the man
knew that after four year he
would go, people would have
expected him to stop from that
day. The man has to work till that
day.
Uduaghan has been a friend right
from when I was the chairman of
Burutu Local Government area.
He is well calculating. He started
very well and he is finishing very
strong. I cherish a lot of things
that he is doing, particularly this
new programme, Delta Beyond
Oil, it is a noble programme.
Here you have a governor, who is
already thinking about the future
of his people, there is nothing that
can be compared to that. By the
grace of God when I take over
from him, that is one of the
programmes that we are going to
run with to be able to provide
a secured future for the people.
Have you been able to mend
fences with Chief Edwin Clark?
I never had problem with my
father and leader, so the issue of
mending fences does not arise.
Chief Clark remains my father
yesterday, today and tomorrow.
But you are at war over the
structure of PDP, especially in
Burutu LGA where the two of
you hail from. A recent court
judgement that returned the
structure to one of your
loyalists did not go down well
with his camp.
I don’t think that is true. First
and foremost, my leader is not
involved in local political activities.
The problem we have was that the
chairman, who won the election
from day one had some issues
with some leaders in Burutu LGA,
the thing changed and the man
went to court. The leader was
aware when they went to court
and when they won the case I told
the chairman that this is a family
activity.
Whatever we do in Burutu, it has
always been my style to go to the
leader to ask for direction and
then I go and work with his
directive. In the same way, it has
been a family activity, no victor, no
vanquished. I will soon meet with
my leader and whatever he directs
is what we are going to do.
I have always worked with Chief
Clark and I will continue to work
with him. He is a great political
leader not only to Elder Godsday
Orubebe, he is a great political
leader in this country. Some of us
were encouraged to come into
politics because of his activities in
the past. We saw him as a role
model, mentor, leader and father.
When I was contesting as a
councilor in Burutu, I used to tell
people that one day I want to be
like Chief Edwin Clark. I will also
make reference to him. There is
no position I hold that will not
make me go to him for advice and
direction. I have been a minister
for six years and God used him as
one of the instruments to work for
me to be a minister.
How do you react to the
insinuations in some quarters
that you are plotting to use the
structure of PDP in Burutu LGA
to frustrate the ambition of his
son, Ebikeme, to contest the
council chairmanship?
As one of the sons of Chief Clark,
it has always been my wish to do
things to recognize his leadership.
This very son wanted to be a
member of the House of
Representatives. As minister, I
went round the local government
to discuss with leaders. I said we
have to do this thing for our father
and if that is the only thing we
have to do as his followers, let us
do it. I did that.
But somehow along the line,
certain things happened and the
boy did get not it. It has always
been my wish to do something to
appreciate our leader and father
for all he has done for us. Though,
the son has not told me that he
wants to be chairman.
But any day, anytime, he tells me
I am there to support him for the
singular reason that if in this
world, in the lifetime our dear
father and leader, there are one
or two things I can do to
appreciate what he has done for
the Ijaw people, the South-South
and Nigeria, I will be too glad if
that will add recognition to all he
has sacrificed for the people of
this country and particularly our
people.
Are you embarrassed by the
recent kidnap of Clark’s son by
his own people?
It has nothing to do with his
leadership, it was pure criminality.
The people that are into
criminality, if they are doing it,
they don’t care if the victim is
their own father or mother.
In my village, I built a Christian
Centre, where thousands of
people go on first Friday of every
month. On that last Friday when
we had all night, we spent about
20 minutes praying for his son. I
said there is a verse in the Bible-
Exodus 21:16, where God said that
any man, who steals a man or a
man is found in his house and he
is selling, He says that person
should be put to death.
I told the congregation to pray
and we said we gave the people
five days. After five days if he was
not released, we were going to
invoke that scripture on the
people. Fortunately, the following
day, Saturday, the boy was
released. It was pure criminality.
Every well meaning person in
Delta State worked hard to ensure
that the boy was released to m
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