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  • Ndokwa nation must produce Delta North Senator in 2027 – Nwaoboshi

    Ndokwa nation must produce Delta North Senator in 2027 – Nwaoboshi

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has reaffirmed the commitment to the existing zoning arrangement in Delta North Senatorial District, declaring that it is the turn of the Ndokwa Nation to produce the next senator in 2027.

    Speaking during an interview with journalists, the seasoned politician and former Delta State PDP chairman emphasized the need for fairness, equity, and adherence to the established rotational framework.

    According to Nwaoboshi, the senatorial seat in Delta North has historically rotated among the Ndokwa, Ika, and Aniocha-Oshimili blocs, each serving for 12 years.

    “With Aniocha-Oshimili completing its term, equity demands that Ndokwa Nation takes its turn. I was part of the team that upheld this arrangement in the past, and I remain committed to ensuring its continuity,” he stated.

    Tracing the history of power rotation in Delta North, Nwaoboshi recalled that the late Senator Patrick Osakwe of Ndokwa Nation served three terms from 1999 to 2015 before stepping aside to allow Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of the Ika bloc to emerge.

    Okowa served in the Senate before becoming governor for eight years, further solidifying the rotational arrangement.

    “The principle of equity guided our decisions in the past, ensuring that every bloc had its turn. This arrangement has brought stability to Delta North politics, and it must be upheld,” Nwaoboshi said.

    He reiterated his commitment to respecting the zoning agreement, adding that it would be morally wrong for any bloc to seek to retain the position after completing its turn.

    Addressing the internal crisis in the Delta APC, Nwaoboshi criticized the Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor-led Reconciliation Committee, accusing it of creating further divisions within the party.

    He described proposals such as the creation of a “Leadership Council” and a co-chair arrangement between Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and a serving minister as unconstitutional and counterproductive.

    “The party must adhere to its constitution. Creating structures outside the constitution is a recipe for chaos. The proposal to have Senator Omo-Agege co-chair with a minister is illogical and undermines the party’s hierarchy,” he said.

    Read Also: Commissioner to Ndokwa nation: keep hope alive

    Nwaoboshi urged party members to prioritize unity and fairness, emphasizing the need for Delta North to produce the next APC state chairman following Delta South’s tenure.

    “Equity must prevail within the APC. Denying Delta North this right will only deepen divisions,” he warned.

    As the 2027 general elections approach, Nwaoboshi underscored the importance of zoning in fostering inclusivity and stability in Delta North politics, calling on party members to uphold fairness and work collectively to strengthen the APC in Delta State.

    “If we must build a stronger APC, we must set aside personal interests and focus on equity, unity, and the party’s collective success,” he concluded.

  • Real reason I was remanded in prison for one year -Senator Nwaoboshi

    Real reason I was remanded in prison for one year -Senator Nwaoboshi

    • Says his arrest, detention was contrived by political opponents
    • ‘Supreme Court has vindicated me’

    Until he was set free by the Supreme Court on July 1, Delta APC stalwart, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, was a guest of the correctional centre for more than one year following a court order resulting from his arrest and arraignment over a billion-naira loan deal he insists he had nothing to do with. In this interview with OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE, the former Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District opens up on the alleged brains behind his ordeal and his plans to bounce back into political reckoning.

    Could you recall the issues that led to your incarceration for more than one year?

    The essence of the whole issue was to make sure that I did not participate in the last general elections and also to dent my political image. Otherwise, like the Supreme Court said, a company took a loan, I’m not a signatory to the account, and then it now looks as if I once worked in that company and that I’m guilty of diversion of loan. There’s no law as diversion of loan in any of our legal books. There’s nothing called diversion of loan. And that is what the Supreme Court said. There’s no such law.

    But more importantly, they took me to the Federal High Court. All efforts to compromise the judge at the Federal High Court failed. They did everything but the man refused; that he would not be compromised and that justice must be done in the matter. Even the judge who was used in trying to compromise the judge who declared me innocent at the Federal High Court, at the right time, I will call his name, because we must sanitise our judiciary. If you go to the prison, you would see innocent Nigerians that are suffering. Some people have been there for 10 years awaiting trial. Some people are just there because they don’t have money. They can’t even hire lawyers. And some judges and other people would just take joy in dealing with innocent people, especially the poor. However, I got justice based on the integrity of the judge who handled the case at the Federal High Court and I was declared innocent.

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    But the matter went up to the Supreme Court?

    Yes, they proceeded to the Court of Appeal still with the Paris Club money that was at hand at that time. They went and compromised some of the justices. I am a lawyer with about 33 years’ experience. I practice Law, I hold a masters degree in Law so I should be able to know my bounds. I didn’t sign a cheque, I didn’t sign an agreement, I’m not a director, I’m not a shareholder of the company you said that I’m the alter ego. The managing director of the company is alive, the directors of the company are alive, none of them was invited, none of them was questioned.

    The EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) did not even visit the factory to obtain evidence. The NEXIM Bank witness that they called, it is there in the records, said that ‘we gave this company’; he didn’t say they gave me. He said we gave the company a loan of N1.2 billion and that they followed all the procedures and the loan was legally granted to the company. That is their own witness; not my witness. The witness testified that the company had paid the capital of N1.2 billion that they borrowed and that as he was giving evidence, the company had paid N700 million as interest, and that the company had four months left for the tenure of the loan, which is five years, and what was left to pay was N24 million. And they went further to ask, ‘do you think they will pay?’ and they said they could pay, they are our good customers, we did not bring any case against them. This was the evidence of NEXIM Bank.

    You mean it was a legally acquired loan?

    The loan was legally obtained. Money laundering is money acquired from an illegal source and then you try to launder it like somebody whose shirt or dress is dirty and he goes to the laundry to wash it. It is not money obtained from a legal source. And there is no way a judge would say he does not understand the phrase ‘money laundering’. A company in which I am not a shareholder, you said that I am the alter ego of the company, just because one of the Justices was promised appointment to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He decided to sacrifice me and to convince the other people around the judgment.

    You sound as if you are deeply

  • No court gave warrant for my arrest – Senator Nwaoboshi

    Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North has denied media report, that the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property has secured a court order for his arrest.
    The Senator in his reaction through his counsel, Barrister Muhammad Sani Katu said, the media report was totally false and written in bad faith to smear his image.
    According to Senator Nwaoboshi’s counsel, “The attention of Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, the senator reprepresenting Delta North in the National Assembly, has been drawn to media reports that the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property has secured a court order for his arrest.
    “The purported order for the arrest of the senator according to the reports was for his alleged involvement in criminal conspiracy, diversion of public funds and official corruption.
    “In the unbalanced and biased media   report, the authors claimed that  the order for the arrest of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, dated September 18, 2018 was issued by a Wuse Zone 2 Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, and signed by one Akanni Olaide, the Chief District Judge II, Federal Capital Territory.
    “The truth of the matter is that, the report was totally false, even on the face value.  It cannot pass any logic to be believed, as it was written in bad faith to smear the image of the Distinguished Senator.
    “We want the general public to know that no such order for the arrest of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi was given by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property on the said date.
    “For the records, the panel had on the 7th day of September invited Senator Nwaoboshi to appear before it on September 17, 2018 to answer some questions over a petition written against him on alleged corruption and abuse of office.
    “Having received the letter, Senator Nwaoboshi being a law abiding citizen Nigeria, through his lawyers, wrote to the Panel, requesting for a new date due to unavoidable circumstances. In his letter, he agreed to appear before the panel on September 27, 2018, a copy of which was signed and acknowledged by the panel.
    “Surprisingly, the Senator was amazed and shocked to read in the national dailies and social media about the order for his arrest by the court over his failure to honour the invitation by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property
    “It is instructive to note that Senator Nwaoboshi is a distinguished Nigerian who by every standard respects constituted authorities. And as such, there is no reason for him not to honour an invitation extended to him from a legally constituted body such as the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property or other relevant government agencies.
    “More so that the senator is on administrative bail granted him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the same subject matter.
    “The mischief from the story is therefore very obvious, for all men and women of goodwill to see. This is just a calculated attempt by some mischief makers to tarnish the rising profile of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.
    “Against the backdrop of all these, we challenge the originators of the story and their sponsors to stop smearing the image of the Senator and rather wait for the outcome of the meeting between him and the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property.” The statement read.

  • Nwaoboshi and the burden of service

    When some of us look back at Nigeria, most times we are tempted to believe the country is on some sort of ancestral curse. We are a people who do things differently from the rest of the world. It is unfortunate to say this, but we are more inclined to destruction and personal gains than progress.

    We neither appreciate hard work nor dedicated to service-oriented leadership. It is the reason our political firmament is strewn with very odd characters, who strive every day to compound our problems. I juxtapose what is the political cum leadership currency in my native country, Nigeria and the United Kingdom, where I have spent the last 10 years, but all I see sadly, is a widening leadership gulf.

    We devote precious time and energies pursuing imagined enemies and spare no weapon to achieve our evil goals. The tendency to masturbate lies, mudsling, embark on vendetta and vindictiveness are very high and frequently exhibited, even against those whom we should bolster to give us good leadership.

    Sen. Peter Nwoaboshi compelled me into these deep thoughts. I have met him at a distance once or twice in my entire life. Nevertheless, I have monitored his public service, politicking traits and personal disposition about life. And I am impressed with him. He strikes me like a very positive leadership character to watch.

    The first impression, I had of Sen. Nwoaboshi, who represents Delta North senatorial district in the National Assembly is that of a personality strongly committed to his convictions, outspoken, reliable, straightforward and a leader who believes in the principles of fairness, equity and justice. His morphing from a local politician in our state of Delta, where he had been a State Commissioner, Political Adviser and the longest serving Delta State chairman of the PDP to a Senator and national political figure must have bruised or unexpectedly terminated the ambitions of some perpetual power mongers in the state.

    There are a thousand who are displeased with his meteoric rise in politics and leadership. So, they are fighting back and very dirty, to distract, destabilize and extract their own pound of flesh from him. They are persistent, even where there is no modicum of evidence; to support the largely weird allegations they often package to nourish the retrogressive plots.

    I keenly followed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) saga, where the issue of a N2.1 billion naira contract awarded to his company, Biderberg Enterprises Limited by the Delta State Government in 2010 for the supply of equipment. Though the job was delivered to specifications, but emergency and faceless anti-graft crusaders, which goes by the name the Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum originated a petition to the anti-graft agency.

    But neither the Delta State the State Government which awarded the contracts nor the ministries concerned complained of infractions in its execution. But a petition was packaged to embarrass and malign the Senator. The intention of the petitioners to the EFCC was just to do anything possible to throw him behind bars, even if momentarily to whittle his rising influence. The case dragged for months and faded.

    But each time a plot fails, a fresh one is hatched and when the EFCC arraigned Nwaoboshi at a Federal High Court in Lagos , which finally slammed a remand on him to decide on his bail application before the court at another date, over allegations bordering on money laundering and fraud, involving two companies linked to him -Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, his opponents jubilated overtly.

    And since then, the detractors of the Senator who chairs the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs has known no respite. That reality of his temporary shelter in jail gladdened the hearts of his traducers and rivals infinitely.

    But Sen. Nwaoboshi is the proverbial cat with nine lives. He secured his bail, not much of the case is resonating any longer. Therefore, his opponents have crafted another plot . The faceless groups, are always primed to exhume and concoct past issues to ensure the heart of Sen. Nwoaboshi, who is fondly called by his people and admirers as “Oracle, Miracle or Oshimili’,” is kept permanently on the boil.

    This time, a conspicuously unverifiable group by the name Coalition of Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRGG), issued a public statement imploring the Delta State Government to hasten action on the trial of persons allegedly indicted in the killing of some people in Ibusa, Delta State in 2013. The group specifically, demanded that Sen. Nwaoboshi be quizzed on the matter.

    But the Senator’s only link to the alleged killings was that he happened to be the State chairman of the PDP at the time of the killings. However, the contents and intendments of the statement narrowed down to Sen. Nwaoboshi as the target to be implicated in a murder case in the permutations to halt his 2019 re-election . That’s the extent we have embraced bad politicking, devoid of sense and reasoning.

    But I am convinced this may be another exercise in futility. Sen. Nwaoboshi is not a novice in Nigerian politics or its murky waters and such infantile plots would not shake him. He is an exceptional leader and it is these attributes that earned him the 2015 senatorial victory to represent the people of Delta North at the National Assembly.

    Even at the national political scene in Abuja, Sen. Nwaoboshi knows how to beneficially navigate his path to attract development to his people. He was a prominent shadow in the winning team that produced the incumbent Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and other principal leaders of the Senate.

    It was unmistakable to him that delivering dividends of democracy to his constituents, close ties with leadership of the Senate was indispensible. And the people of Delta state generally who are reaping bountifully from his friendly romance with National Assembly leadership loudly attest to it.

    But it does appear to me, Sen. Nwaoboshi’s splendid representation which has further endeared him to constituents, who are massively waiting for the hour to click his re-election ballot has become the greatest undoing of the Senator. Possibly, that’s s why his enemies are still hell-bent on crucifying him, which unambiguously account for today’s resurrection of the 2013 killings in Delta state . We know him as a man conscious of himself, public image and open repulsion for crime anywhere he finds himself.

    But a leader who embraces truth, justice, fairness and service to humanity is innately or divinely protected. First, the plot to use the EFCC against him crumbled. He remained unperturbed and could not even be silenced as planned by his political rivals.

    What his political detractors have failed to decode pathetically is that the revered Sen. Nwaoboshi is a man who has nothing to hide either in his business or private family life. He is an epitome of complete public trust and service to his people is his second name. This plot too has fallen flat before daybreak.

    Like the cliché goes, a man who has no skeleton in his cupboard fears no accusation and Sen. Nwaoboshi is fearlessly ready to combat his opponents on the political turf to victory. And his only weapon, which his enemies cannot suppress or weaken is his unequalled numerous youth empowerment programs, in education, infrastructure, and human capital development in just three years in the Senate to the people of Anioma and Delta State who are infinitely grateful with his stewardship.

    Sen. Nwaoboshi has constructed several roads projects in his constituency, skill acquisition centers in different parts of Agbor, influenced the inclusion of youths in the Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government and most youths have already benefitted from gainful training and empowerment; cash assistance constituents, including the physically challenged among others. This is in addition to the marvelous humanitarian works of the Nwaoboshi Foundation and so, the Senator’s popularity has unrestrictedly soared.

    Therefore, I have no hesitation to believe that those seeking for the head of Sen. Nwaoboshi must necessarily come back after 2019. But presently, if the desire to distract him is all about 2019, certainly, they have picked a wrong specimen for the experiment.

    Ogolime is a security expert analyst and writes from the United Kingdom.

  • Nwaoboshi: EFCC humiliated me

    The embattled Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North) yesterday told the Senate that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) humiliated him while holding him custody over an alleged N322 million fraud.

    Nwaoboshi, who resumed plenary, assured his colleagues he would not yield to intimidation, especially when he did nothing to warrant the humiliation he was subjected to.

    He said: “I rise to thank the Senate for standing behind me during my ordeal in the hands of the EFCC; for its concern for my well-being.

    “As a lawyer, I am conscious of the fact that my matter is now in court. I am no longer at liberty to say anything that will impede judicious trial of the case. However, I assure my colleagues that I have not done anything that will justify or that necessitated the humiliation I was subject to as a serving senator.

    “This roll back to the dark days of the military rule must not be allowed to hold sway under a democratic dispensation. This senate must challenge the forces and agents of oppression.

    “I assure this eighth senate that I refuse to be cowed or intimidated by anyone. I am confident that I will have my day in court and justice will prevail. Once more thank you for believing in me and standing by me.”

  • Alleged N322m fraud: Nwaoboshi to spend two days in prison

    THE Federal High Court in Lagos has remanded the senator representing Delta North, Peter Nwaoboshi, in Ikoyi Prison, following his arraignment for an alleged N322 million fraud.

    Justice Mohammed Idris made the order after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opposed Nwaoboshi’s bail application.

    The judge adjourned till Friday to rule on whether or not to release the lawmaker on bail.

    The EFCC brought Nwaoboshi to court at about 8:49am amidst tight security provided by heavily-armed policemen positioned around the premises.

    Hundreds of his kinsmen and loyalists, who arrived hours earlier, swarmed the white Toyota Hiace bus which brought the lawmaker, chanting: “Agu ne che mba! Agu ne che mba! Agu ne che mba !”, meaning: “Lion which protects the people” and “Oshomiri”.

    They obstructed EFCC officials and gun-toting policemen, who ferried Nwaoboshi away from Justice Idris’ courtroom building to another courtroom behind it.

    At about 8:54am, the lawmaker was led to Justice Idris’ courtroom, where he was docked on two counts of money laundering and fraud, alongside two firms – Golden Touch Construction Project Limited and Suiming Electricals Ltd.

    In the charge, the EFCC alleged that Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Limited purchased a property known as Guinea House, Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos for N805 million between May and June 2014.

    The court heard that N322 million out of the N805 million, which Nwaoboshi and the firm paid for the property, was part of proceeds of “an unlawful act, to wit: fraud”.

    The EFCC alleged that the N322 million was transferred to the vendor of the property on the order of Suiming Electricals Limited.

    Suiming Electricals Ltd was accused of aiding Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Limited to commit money laundering on or about May 14, 2014.

    The prosecution said the offences contravened sections 18(a) and 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

    Nwaoboshi’s counsel Dr. Velerie Azinge (SAN) urged the court to grant Nwaoboshi bail on self-recognisance or liberal terms.

    Azinge said besides suffering from a heart-related ailment, the senator would not jump bail, as, according to her, he must always attend Senate proceedings, failing which his seat would be declared vacant by the Senate President.

    “This is a case of a pure commercial transaction,” she added.

    In the alternative, Azinge suggested that should the court be unwilling to admit Nwaoboshi to bail on self-recognisance, the terms of the bail should be liberal.

    She said: “Alternatively, in the event that the court is not minded to grant bail on self-recognisance, we will be craving the court’s indulgence to grant bail in the most liberal terms.

    “Even the head of the Senate himself, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is before the court of law and yet he’s still presiding over the Senate proceedings.”

    EFCC counsel, Abubakar Mohammed, opposed the application on the ground among others, that it was not yet ripe for hearing.

    He noted that the commission was served with the bail motion on April 24.

    He, however, conceded that the decision to grant the bail was at the judge’s discretion.

    But Azinge insisted that the prosecution was served with the application on April 23, but refused service.

    She added that the bailiff of the court attempted service same at the EFCC office but same was refused and the bailiff deposed to an affidavit of service.

    Justice Idris adjourned till Friday for ruling.

  • EFCC grills Nwaoboshi over N4b contracts

    For hours yesterday,  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detectives quizzed Senator Peter Onyeluka Nwaoboshi over alleged unexecuted N4billion contracts and 20 accounts in six banks.

    The senator, who represents Delta North Senatorial District, is also under investigation for allegedly obtaining a N1.2billion loan from Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to buy electrical equipment and diverting the facility to personal use.

    Three years after securing the loan for his firm, he has paid back just N150million.

    Another issue against the Senator was the alleged use of a firm, Golden Touch Construction Project Limited, to purchase a 12-storey building in Apapa Lagos belonging to Delta State Government at the cost of N805, 000,000.00.

    It was learnt that a response from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) showed that the Senator “did not declare all the companies and banks account he has interest in despite being operational prior to the time he made the declaration.”

    The EFCC closed in on the Senator following a petition from Delta State.

    A top source in EFCC said: “The Senator is in our custody to respond to allegations against him. So far, he has been with a team of detectives handling the multiple cases concerning him before this commission.

    “It is too early to say whether the EFCC will detain him. He has many questions to answer.”

    A brief by the EFCC on the Senator indicated that Nwaoboshi secured theN1.2billion loan, under the Local Industrial Growth Scheme, when he was sitting on the Board of Directors of NEXIM Bank.

    Although Nwaoboshi excused himself on the day the NEXIM board approved the facility for his company, the anti-graft agency said the deal smacked of internal abuse.”

    The document reads in part: “The EFCC is probing how the Senator allegedly diverted part of a N1.2billion facility granted to him in 2014 by NEXIM Bank under the Local Industrial Growth Scheme.

    “The loan, which was approved for the senator when he was a member of the bank’s board of directors, was meant for the purchase of equipment and electrical materials but the senator allegedly diverted part of the funds to acquire properties in Lagos.

    “Criminal diversion is a serious offence and NEXIM may have to report him to the Central Bank of Nigeria. As a director of the bank, the circumstance of the award of the loan is one that raises fundamental conflict of interest and corporate governance issues.”

    A petitioner also claimed  that the Senator allegedly owned ‘Bilderberg Enterprises Ltd’  which was awarded a contract by the Direct Labour Agency, Delta State to supply construction equipment in the sum of N1,580,000,000.00.

    But instead of supplying according to the specifications, the Senator was alleged to have supplied used equipment contrary to the Bill of Quantity which specified new ones.

    Also Bilderberg Enterprises Limited (previously known as Bilderberg Enterprises Nigeria Ltd) was alleged to have secured contracts from Nine (9) Local Government Areas in Delta worth over N2billion when the said company was yet to be registered under the Company and Allied Matters Act.

    The same Senator’s firm was alleged to have secured another contract to supply N474, 936,000 machinery like Bulldozers, Pail loaders and Tipper Lorries by the Delta State Waste Management Board.

    The EFCC however found out that the equipment were used items contrary to contract specifications.

    About five firms had been traced to the Senator including  Bilderberg Enterprises Ltd, Suiming Electricals Limited, Golden Touch Construction Project Limited, Jupes Global Nigeria, and District Construction Trumile Service.

    On the question of accounts, the Senator’s personal and companies’ banks accounts were linked to the Bank Verification Number (BVN) 22300559079 which has more than 20 bank accounts domiciled in six different banks.

    But one Ogom Augustine Nwaoboshi is the sole signatory to the accounts.

    A one foreign account identified with the Senator  was also located by the EFCC’s investigation team

    The account is designated as No 4004241 with HSBC Bank in Marbile Arch London, United Kingdom.

    Also, ex-Plateau State Governor  David Jang was yesterday quizzed for over seven and a half hours over alleged diversion of N2billion Small and Medium Scale Enterprises funds facility advanced to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) during his tenure.

    Another source added: “The SME cash was released to Plateau State a month before the expiration of Jang’s tenure in 2015. We asked him about the whereabouts of the funds. He is expected to provide the list of beneficiaries.

    “But our detectives have retrieved all documents relating to the facility. We are probing clues on how the money was diverted.

    “We are likely to take on Jang again this week because he owes the people of the state a duty to account for the N2billion.”

  • Saraki is best, says Nwaoboshi

    Saraki is best, says Nwaoboshi

    THE ambition of Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to clinch the position of Senate President when the Eight Senate is inaugurated next week has received a boost from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator-elect Peter Nwaoboshi.

    Nwaoboshi, who was elected to represent Delta North, described Saraki as a detribalised parliamentarian with wide administrative experience.

    He spoke to reporters on the sideline of the one-day retreat for lawmakers-elect on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Monday.

    The senator-elect described Saraki as “a principled and firm lawmaker who cannot be dictated to anyhow.”

    He noted that Saraki was able to hold all the governors together irrespective of political party affiliation when he was the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

    He said: “We must quit playing with mundane things. At this point in our national history and in the bid to further entrench the ethos of democracy, as it concerns the Principle of Separation of Powers, we all agreed that competent and capable hands must be elected or put in position of authority.

    “In that respect, Senator Saraki is the most qualified to occupy the seat of the Senate President. He is a detribalised Nigerian. He was once a chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and in that position, he was able to hold the various governors from different political parties together.

    “He is not somebody that anybody can just pick up and dictate to. This means he will not allow any external force to dictate to us in the Senate. He has done it before, even in Kwara State.”

  • Delta North: Nwaoboshi jittery over Ochei’s entry

    Delta North: Nwaoboshi jittery over Ochei’s entry

    The entry of Victor Ochei, the former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly into the Delta North 2015 senatorial race on the platform of Accord Party (AP) is said to be giving his PDP counterpart, Peter Nwaoboshi, sleepless nights.

    Unconfirmed speculations have it that the aspiration of Ochei, who is a three-term lawmaker in the House of Assembly, is being backed by major stakeholders within and outside the PDP, his former party.