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Tag: Ojougboh

  • Ojougboh was a courageous, outspoken personality, says Ibori

    Ojougboh was a courageous, outspoken personality, says Ibori

    Former Delta state governor, James Onanefe Ibori has described as shocking, the death of a former member of the House of Representatives, Cairo Ojougboh.

    Ojougboh, who represented the Ika federal constituency of Delta state in the House of Representatives from 2003-2007 reportedly slumped and died while watching the semi-final clash between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Wednesday, February 7.

    Ibori, in a condolence message he signed, expressed shock, disbelief, and sadness over the sudden death of Ojougboh, who also served as a former Executive Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    Read Also: Tinubu mourns late Cairo Ojougboh

    He said: “I am devastated by the news of the death of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, a very outspoken and courageous personality who served his community, Delta state, and Nigeria well in different capacities during his lifetime”.

    “Our paths crossed years back as students at the University of Benin. Years later, our friendship became solidified when we both worked together to advance the interests of Delta State both at the national and state levels. The late Ojougboh was elected into the National Assembly in 2003 while I was also sworn in for a second term as governor.”

    “In everything that he did, Cairo was exemplary. He was a committed grassroots leader who lent a helping hand to everyone around him during his lifetime.

    “My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones. I pray that God repose his soul and give his family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”

  • Ojougboh takes campaign to Ijaw caucus

    Former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Cairo Ojougboh, has appealed to the Ijaw elements within the All Progressives Congress (APC) to give him a chance of flying the flag of APC next year in the governorship race.

    Ojougboh made the plea yesterday during a courtesy call on the leaders of the Ijaw caucus of the APC in Delta State in Warri.

    He said all progressives in Delta State must “work together to free the state from the control of the PDP”.

    While thanking the Ijaw caucus for honouring him with their time, especially the host of the gathering, Hon George Timinimi, for the warm reception, the governorship hopeful said he intends to lead the state for just one term of office, if elected.

    He said: “Delta State is about to regenerate Nigeria with my ideas. They bring Paris Club refund, bailout fund and monthly allocation but the governor mismanaged them, it has been on and on, GOD has not given Deltans wealth to suffer.

    “It is a task for all members of the progressive family in Delta state and that task must be done.

    “We must vote Okowa’s ill-fated government out. DESOPADEC is almost dead. You need somebody who will recognise the Ijaw nation.”

  • How peace can return to PDP, by Ojougboh

    How peace can return to PDP, by Ojougboh

    Factional National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr. Cairo Ojougboh spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on the protracted crisis in the opposition party and how to halt the logjam.

    What is the state of affairs in the PDP at the moment? Our party is very, very strong. The National Working Committee (NWC) set a committee on mobilisation and strategy and they went round the country and when they submitted that report, they said the party is very strong at the grassroots; that the party is well represented in every ward in the 774 local governments in the country and that the people are desirous of the PDP putting its house in order, so that they can strategise and get ready for election as quickly as possible. That is the state of the party.

    With the protracted crisis that has bedeviled the PDP for some time, do you think the party still has a future?

    Well, we are optimistic that the Court of Appeal will give its judgment very soon. The court adjourned for judgment and you know that they have a period of 90 days within which to come up with their judgment. As I have always said, there will be no legal solution to the problem of the PDP; but the legal solution is a prelude to a political solution. So, as soon as the Court of Appeal gives its judgment, a general meeting will be called where everybody will know his right and then, we will all sit down in a room and we will take it from there. I am very optimistic that the National Convention of the party will hold within the first quarter of 2017. That is the way I look at it, because people have talked about mega party. Of course, the PDP is a brand and a lot of leaders have rejected the issue of a mega party; they have talked about change of name. Of course, the founding fathers have said that the reason they are keeping quiet is for the people of impunity to leave the party and they will return. They’ve said look, that the slogan of the party is Power to the People. In fact, it was Bamanga Tukur who said it when we visited him some few days ago and luckily, he too is in touch with most leaders of the party and I am of the opinion that they will not accede to change of name and that is the general conclusion.

    When you talk about the NWC, how did the members come into place, because we are not aware that they held a convention?

    The NWC is still in place, because their tenure will expire sometime in 2017, according to the court judgment of Mohammed J. of Abuja, and then also the interlocutory order of Buba in Lagos. And then it was only the Liman judgment that brought all these crises in the PDP. But, basically, the NWC in the last six months we sat down, set up committees to look properly at the way of repositioning the party and to review the constitution of the party and then we came up with three major additions to what we agreed in May. Number one: that after governors has done their second terms and presidents too and party chairmen, in the subsequent election and primaries, no governor or president or party chairman would be allowed to adopt any candidate. Any candidate who is adopted by a president, by a governor would be disqualified from the party. This is to ensure that all party members have a say in producing the party leaders in the following election.

    We have also taken a critical look at the composition of the National Convention. What we feel is that both present and past members of the National Assembly should be members of the National Convention. This is because for a person to rise to the level of National Convention especially the House of Reps and the Senate, you know as it is constituted; you cannot be doing a National Convention and you exclude the person, a super delegate. If such persons know that they are so recognised, they will all assiduously work for the party. And these are leaders that at all times muster votes for their people. We’ve also proposed that at least, one member each from each state, one senator and one member of House of Reps should join the National Exco. Usually, it was one member of House of Reps and one member of Senate from the zones. But, this time, we’ve increased it, so that a member each from the Senate and the House of Reps would be members of the NEC, because we want to make the NEC large enough to carry the opinions of the people, so that decisions of NEC will reflect the thinking of the people. These are the three major things we believe should be included in the next NEC we are convening and once that is approved, we will take it to the National Convention and once rectified, we will also work on it.

    Then the final one we are also amending is that if you are a member of the NWC, a member of the State Exco, or a member of the party executive anywhere and you want to return to office after your first tenure, you should not necessarily resign from office, because if the entire country vote for you to be the chairman of the party and then because you’re a chairman of the party, you have to lose your position to re-contest; it is unfair, unconstitutional. In fact, it runs against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because even the governor and the president produced by the party, they don’t abdicate their office for them to re-contest. And then members of the National Assembly, they don’t abdicate their offices for them to also re-contest. So, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

    What’s your view about the impression that Sheriff is a mole in PDP and that he is just there to ensure that the APC comes back in 2019?

    I’ve answered this question over 50 times in the course of the last one month. The answer is very simple – Sheriff was sitting in his house when Governor Fayose and Governor Wike went to invite him to become the Chairman of the party. Governor Fayose and Governor Wike gave him three months to be in office. At the end of three months, they went to Sheriff, they said, Chairman, you have repositioned the party; look at the number of agbada in the PDP Wadata Plaza; you are the only person who can lead this party to the promise land, we therefore want you to continue. Governors Wike and Fayose, they set up a convention committee and they made Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom the Chairman of the zoning committee. The zoning committee, in their wisdom, went to Sheriff and said: Sir, we are going to zone the chairmanship of the party to you. So, we are zoning it to the Northeast and to Borno especially. The Northeast met, they said look, Sheriff we have endorsed you to continue as chairman of the party at the zonal congresses.

    My very good friend, so you mean the whole of the Northeast, you mean the whole of the governors, you mean the whole of the PDP people, all of them are working for the APC? That is the question. There were six governors in the zoning committee. The six governors endorsed Sheriff and endorsed the zoning project. So, you mean it is the APC? So, my very good friend, my answer has always been that it is not President Buhari and the APC that sourced and zoned the PDP chairmanship to Sheriff and that the coming of Sheriff is a blessing to multiparty democracy in not just the PDP, but in Nigeria because today we now know that people can ask questions and we are very happy with the teeming grassroots.

    How do you feel that most state executives do not pledge allegiance to Ahmed Markafi and not to your executive?

    Have you ever heard any state governor come to say he is not with Ali Modu Sheriff?

    Yes. A number of them have said so…

    Nobody!

    Which governor can you now point at that is with you?

    I will not because, you see, because of the political nature of this argument, I don’t want to call anybody, but go and meet any governor, ask him to go and condemn Sheriff. Sheriff’s daughter wedded a few days ago; did you see what happened in Borno? And let me tell you, all political majors in the whole of the Northeast and the country, they were there. There was a dinner organised for the reception last Sunday in Abuja. Almost all the governors were there and let me tell you what is going on in the PDP – if Sheriff and the NWC do not have the backing of majority of the stakeholders, we would have said look, we are not wanted; we will go. But, every member, every stakeholder in the PDP is waiting for Sheriff to win in the Court of Appeal.

    They know that what Markafi has done is illegal. In fact, any right thinking Nigerian knows that that Caretaker Committee is illegal and that politics has changed. If you begin to parade names and carry them, we don’t bother you. What we parade is the masses that we have returned the power to. Before now, no member in this country can stand up and speak, but today we have given freedom to everybody. So, you can see all of them, from state to state, all of them are talking now and then, they are now associating with the PDP.

    The fortunes of PDP have dwindled, especially with the recent loss of Ondo State. Do you think it will bounce back?

    Of course, some lessons were learnt in Ondo and Edo states, especially in Ondo. In Ondo, it was clear that the masses, the people sent a message to the PDP that never again will any governor adopt a candidate and not allow for a free contest. Number two lesson, never again will somebody come from another party and then you give him the entire structure of the PDP; it should not happen again, because as soon as Mimiko returned to the party, every member of the PDP left and they left with Oke. Oke secured 125,000 votes in the last election, the PDP secured 155,000 votes and the APC scored 250,000. The votes given to Oke are all PDP votes. If Oke didn’t leave and Mimiko was able to manage his coming back into the PDP as a sportsman, we won’t be where we are today. So, that is the lesson learnt there. And, again, things have to get worse for it to get better.

    Does Sheriff have presidential ambition?

    I am not in his mind; he has never discussed that with me. But, it is his right to have a presidential ambition if he so wish. But, that is why we are also putting in the constitutional amendment that no chairman of the party can adopt anybody. So, if has, he’s already checkmated. So, he cannot adopt himself and the NWC will not adopt him; no party organs will adopt him. That is the essence of these amendments in the constitution. So, that is not a problem at all.

    Does the PDP has the potential to upstage the APC in 2019?

    The APC, as I have always said, is not a party yet. There is only one party in Nigeria and that is the PDP. This is because if you were to put the APC in a basket, you can very easily in the basket pick out the CPC, the ACN, the ANPP and the APGA faction. You can also pick out the PDP elements in the APC basket. But, the PDP still remains one; that is what you have to see.

  • Peace‘ll return to PDP after court verdict, says Ojougboh

    Peace‘ll return to PDP after court verdict, says Ojougboh

    The factional Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (South), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, has reflected on the leadership crisis in the opposition party, saying that peace will return to the fold after the judicial intervention.

    He said the leadership of Senator Modu Sheriff was not in dispute, stressing that Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who heads the National Caretaker Committee, was an impostor.

    Ojougboh told reporters in Lagos that the protracted crisis was a blessing in disguise, assuring that the party will come out of it stronger.

    He lamented the role of the governors who persuaded Sheriff to serve as chairman, only to attempt to pull the rug off his feet at the disputed Port-Harcourt convention.

    The factional deputy chairman maintained that Sheriff has not stepped down as the chairman, urging the aggrieved chieftains to embrace the reality.

    Ojougbo acknowledged that a legal solution may not bring peace to the party, but the court verdict will definitely herald a political solution.

    He stressed: “We are optimistic that the Court of Appeal will give its judgment very soon. The Court of Appeal adjourned for judgment and they have a period of 90 days to come up with their judgmentThere will be no legal solution to the problem of the PDP, but the legal solution is a prelude to a political solution.

    “So as soon as the Court of Appeal gives its judgment, a general meeting will be called where everybody will sit down in a room and we will take it from there. I am very optimistic that the national convention of the party will hold in the first quarter of the year.

    Ojougboh also spoke on the composition of the National Working Committee, saying that its tenure will expire later in the year.

    He said Sheriff’s priority is to bequeath a party where members will take ownership of party processes and halt the culture of imposition by big wigs.

    The deputy chairman said plans were underway by the Sheriff leadership to initiate and implement other reforms that will further democratize the party at the national, regional, state, local government and ward levels.

    Ojougboh said the failed attempt to remove Sheriff illegally had rubbed off on the ruling party, adding that, if he had been removed, the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have also been removed.

    He said it is an insult to described Sheriff as a mole in the PDP by the chieftains who persuaded him to take up the leadership role.

    Ojougboh added: “Sheriff was sitting in his house when Governor Fayose and Governor Wike went to invite him to become the chairman of the party. Governor Fayose and Governor Wike gave him three months to stay in the office. At the end of three months, they went to Sheriff. They said, Chairman, you have repositioned the party; lok at the number of ‘Agbada’ in the PDP Wadata Plaza. You should continue in office.”

    The politician also reflected on the concern of the founding fathers, noting their willingness to return to the party, following the exit of men of impunity.

    Ojougboh, who said the party will reclaim its lost glory, following the resolution of the crisis, urged members to make sacrifices and return to the vision of the founding fathers.

  • Sheriff camp picks Cairo Ojougboh as deputy chair

    Sheriff camp picks Cairo Ojougboh as deputy chair

    Factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has appointed the party’s former Vice Chairman (South-South), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh as the faction’s Deputy National Chairman.

    This is coming just as another set of “chairmen” of state chapters yesterday endorsed Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff as the party’s “authentic” National Chairman.

    Ojougboh was one of the party’s mainstream national officials that were removed at the party’s May 21 botched convention in Port Harvourt.

    Ojougboh’s letter of appointment was jointly signed by Sheriff and the faction’s National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo.

    The letter reads, “Please, be informed that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in a meeting held on the 28th of June 2016, and having received nomination from the Concerned PDP stakeholders (Abuja Convention Group) and major stakeholders in the South-south has appointed you as the Acting Deputy National Chairman of the party pending the conduct of election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the erstwhile Deputy National Chairman. This appointment takes immediate effect”.

    The Sheriff and Oladipo, through the letter, urged Ojougboh to discharged his functions with dedication to ensure the progress of the party.

    Only on Monday, a set of state chairmen endorsed the Chairman of the Caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the only recognised chair of the party.

    While the pro Makarfi state chairmen based their endorsement of Makarfi on the decision of the botched May 21 Port Harcourt convention, the pro Sheriff set hinged their position on a ruling of a Lagos High Court which restrained the party from electing a replacement for Sheriff.

    Expressing appreciation for the visit by the state chairmen, Sheriff declared that the set of state chairmen that pledged loyalty to Makarfi was not the authentic chairmen.

    According to him, the party had yet to elect chairmen in 23 of the 36 states of the federation, adding that his mission was not to destroy the party but to rebuild it.

    Sheriff expressed willingness to resign his position as chairman if the court ruled against him, saying however that he would never succumb to pressure by the party’s governors to quit.

    Among the pro Sheriff chairmen in the delegation were the ones for Ondo, Imo, Ogun, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    The delegation later passed a vote of confidence in Sheriff.

     

  • PDP protesters seek Ojougboh’s removal as Southsouth vice chair

    There was a protest yesterday at the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the continued stay of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh as the party’s Southsouth vice chairman.

    Protesting at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, New Peoples Democratic Party Reformation Coalition said the continued stay of Ojougboh as the party’s Southsouth  vice chairman would destroy PDP.

    The group’s National Coordinator, Danelsi Momoh, said they were at the secretariat to protest against the activities of Ojougboh.

    Momoh called on the party national leadership to curtail the activities of Ojougboh, which, according to him, was aimed at hijacking the party for his personal interest.

    He said if the activities of Ojougboh in the Southsouth was not checked, it would weaken the operations of PDP.

    The coordinator also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate politically-motivated killings in the country, especially in the Southsouth.

    “While we salute President Buhari’s commitment to bring corrupt politicians to book, it is apt that all cases of politically-motivated killings are investigated.

    “The characters responsible for running the armed gangs that carried out the killings are brought to book,” he added.

    The group, according to Momoh, also called on Ojougboh to step aside from his position until investigated.

    Addressing the protesters, Chinwe Nnorom, the PDP Head of Publicity commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct, but

    promised that their protest message would be presented to the party secretariat.