•Says East-West Road on course
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, was unsettled recently when the PDP local government chapter in Burutu, Delta State, announced his suspension from the party.
The axe fell on him, few weeks after the Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, declared that Orubebe was not qualified to be the governor of Delta State.
But speaking with newsmen last Thursday in Warri, after a meeting with Ijaw traditional rulers in the state, the minister restated his claim that his purported suspension was perfected by those he dismissed as charlatans just he as he pledged his loyalty to the party leadership in the state.
While he claims that he enjoys the support of the Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Orubebe further assures PDP faithful in Delta that "there are no problems in Delta PDP; we are moving on and we are set to deliver PDP in 2015 again.''
Honourable Minister, was your mission to Delta State a fall out of your ordeal with the state chapter of the PDP?
Well, I came to see my traditional fathers in Delta State because of the false and nonsensical things people have been writing in the papers, including writing false and stupid things to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). My traditional fathers in Delta State were worried and they invited me to come and brief them.
So, I went there to have a meeting with them, to brief them, to talk to them about how I have lived as a minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also to debunk those false allegations, stupid things some people are talking about.
Everybody in Delta State knows that I have built my integrity over the years as a councilor, local government chairman, as adviser to the former governor on Urban and Regional Planning and State Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Delta State and I have been minister for six years. So, if Orubebe is that bad, there is no way any president will tolerate him.
Can you react to your purported suspension by the PDP in Burutu LGA of Delta State?
Well, I know I talked about that issue when I was asked by the press recently and I did say some charlatans, who I describe as people that are dancing political dance, met and ascribed to themselves, the power to talk about things they don't know. I don't want to talk about this; they remain my brothers and sisters but I feel sad that people who are supposed to know what is right and good do not understand the constitution of the PDP and the kind of power that people should have.
I don't think about it, I am moving forward and I will continue to support the PDP in Delta State. I will continue to support the governor of this state in all his activities to see that we have a better state here in Delta State and I will continue to support the PDP at the national level to see that we get to where we are supposed to be.
What was the outcome of your meeting with the traditional rulers?
Well, it was a nice meeting; a meeting between fathers and their child. We had a very good meeting and I think that when you see them, they will be able to tell you something about the meeting. They are always very proud of this their son and they still have that belief in me and I told them also that I will not do anything to disappoint them.
So, it was a friendly, cordial, father-child relationship meeting and it went very well.
How is your ministry implementing the Transformation Agenda of Mr. President in the Niger-Delta region?
The Transformation Agenda of Mr. President is solid and Mr. President has said over and over that by the time he is through, Nigeria will be better off. That, we have been pursuing. Today, works are going steadily on the East/West Road that was not passable.
I talked about the East/West Road a number of times; a road that had no programme, no financial programme, no design, nothing, I did it.
A road that has 42 bridges, spanning from 70 metres to 850 metres, I came on board as a minister and completed 36 of the 42 bridges, a road that has over 1,000 culverts and today we have completed 704 culverts because we have financial plans put in place.
I have told everybody this week at a press conference when I did say that by December 2014, this road, which has been there since 2006, will be delivered to the people of Nigeria, particularly Niger Deltans, by December 2014. I think we are on course and nothing will stop us from getting to where we want to get to.
What is your relationship with Chief Edwin Clark now?
Chief Clark is a leader of the Ijaw people, he is a father and will remain so and our relationship is still cordial. We work together for the interest of the Ijaw people and we work together for the interest of this state. We have a cordial relationship.
What is the way forward to achieve genuine reconciliation and peace in Delta PDP?
I don't think we have any problem in Delta PDP. Delta PDP remains strong and PDP remains the only party in this state, there is no any other party in this state. The party is strong, we have a very strong and vibrant state chairman and we are all working with him to deliver PDP again in 2015.
So, we don't need any issue that need the attention of people outside PDP and I can tell you that there are no problems in Delta PDP, we are moving on and we are set to deliver PDP in 2015 again.
Via: Sun News Online
Suspensions happen a lot of time so any affected politician must have done something wrong to get that. That's the case.