Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State, Elder Godsday Orubebe, in this interview with KUNLE ODEREMI, speaks on the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, his governorship bid and sundry issues. Excerpts:
You played a key role in the election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. What do you think informed his reluctance to seek re-election?
I played a key role in the election of President Jonathanin 2011 and 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 and he is waiting for the right time to come and declare to Nigerians. That was 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 again. The president surely will contest. That he is contesting for the presidency again 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 and I think 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?
Today, from 1960 to the time he took over, power infrastructure was completely dead, but he has brought in the private sector. He is working hard, and there is a power master plan now on how Nigeria can get power so that we can key into the global industrial revolution. And today, the trains that were dead over the years are working now. Today, our roads are better now; the East/West road that was meant not to be completed, is about to be completed now. Every arrangement has been put in place. 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 vice chancellors and when they gave their reports, I was marvelled that a lot was being done in our educational institutions. So many activities and 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 grass-roots farmers, and today, people see farming as a good business, unlike in those days when farming was considered as a vocation of the poor people. President Jonathan has done very well and he is moving the country forward and 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 has prevented him from declaring his re-election bid?
I think that so many people do not actually know the kind of president that they 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 a president that is calculating, a president that believes in the rule of law and that as a president of the country, he needs to show good example and that is what he is doing. He cannot come out to declare now, considering the regulations that have been put in place by the Independent National Electoral Commission (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 that President Jonathan can win the election if you look at the scenarios playing out in the country now?
I can tell you from where I am sitting now that Mr President is going to win massively again and again. Let me tell you that Nigerians are becoming more aware. It is not a situation where somebody somewhere is coming to tell them a story. Nigerians are aware that our railways have started working; they are aware that our educational institutions are getting attention, and Nigerians are aware that our airports are better. Nigerians are also aware that agriculture is seen as a serious business now, even at local level and Nigerians are aware 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 course and I am waiting for the INEC’s timetable to declare to the good people of Delta that I am humbly willing to come and offload what God has deposited in me from the councillorship level to the presidency level, and I think God has done very well for me and it is only reasonable that I should also offload what God has invested in me. With the people of Delta, we are thinking of bringing a new concept of governance: concept of love and we will 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 timely for the present government to embark on new development 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 29th of May, 2015. The government is a continuum. If that is what they are saying now, then immediately after swearing-in and the man knew that after four years he would go, people would have expected him to stop from that day. The man has to work till that day. Governor Uduaghan has been a friend right from when I was the chairman of Burutu Local Government Area of the state. He is a man that 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.’ I think that 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 secure future for the people of the state.
Have you been able to mend fences with Chief Edwin Clark?
I never had problems 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 were at war over the structure of the PDP, especially in Burutu Local Government Area where two of you hail from and the recent court judgment, which returned the structure to one of your loyalists, did not go down well with his camp. How do you react to that?
I don’t think that is true. First and foremost, my leader is not involved in local political activities. I think the problem we have was that the chairman, who won the election from day one, had some issues with some leaders in local government, 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 was a family activity. Whatever we do in Burutu Local Government, 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 and that is what is going to be. I have always worked with Chief Clark and I will continue to work with him, even in this case, whatever he directs is what we are going to do in moving the party forward in Burutu and beyond. He is a great political leader not only to Elder Godsday Orubebe, he is a great political leader in the 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 councillor in Burutu Local Government, I used to tell people that one day, I want to be like Chief Clark. We saw him as a model and he remains so and whatever I do as a politician, 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. Remember, 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 the PDP in Burutu LGA to frustrate the ambition of his son, Mr Ebikeme Clark, to contest the chairmanship of Burutu LGA in the next election?
As one of the sons of Chief Clark, it has always been my wish to do things to recognise his leadership and you remember that this very son you are talking about wanted to be a member of the House of Representatives and as minister, I went round the entire local government to discuss with leaders and I said look, 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 not get it and I think that 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, any day, anytime he tells me, I am there to support him for the singular reason that if in this world, in the lifetime of our dear father and leader, there are one or two things I can do to appreciate what he has done for the Ijaw people in this country, the South/South and Nigeria, I will be too glad if that will add recognition to all he has sacrificed for the people of the country and particularly our people. The boy has my support any time any day. I did it for him before and I will do it again.
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