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Tag: Uduaghan

  • Utomi: a good councilor would have done better than Uduaghan

    Utomi: a good councilor would have done better than Uduaghan

    Renowned economist Prof. Pat Utomi has berated former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for allegedly wasting opportunities to develop the state.

    He added that a good councillor would have done better than Uduaghan did.

    In a statement to respond to Dr Uduaghan’s shot at him, Utomi, who is also a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said:”A good Councillor would have done much better for the people than Uduaghan did as Governor. There is extreme misuse of the opportunities available to Delta State. It will take a serious and truly capable government to vigorously tap its potentials and create jobs for our teeming youths.

    “This is one of the many reasons why I believe Delta State needs new political leadership in 2019. Deltans are not meant to suffer from the jeopardy of a clueless administration, especially at this critical phase of our existence.

    “I would have imagined that Uduaghan will be very sober and saddened by his legacy of mismanagement and gross wastage that he left behind in Delta State. Trying to spin his poor record in the hope that Deltans would have forgotten so soon is a failed attempt to rewrite history. Undoubtedly, he knows that only few Deltans speak well of him and it is his pain to struggle with that reality.

    “As he grapples with history, what is more important to Deltans today is how we can rectify the wrong policies, decisions and actions of the past, so that we can create a government that would not only meet the needs of our people today but guarantee a better life for successive generations.

    “This is the task that I have offered to commit myself to between now and 2023. We are looking forward to 2019 with hope and renewed zeal for the beginning of a ‘New Delta’ teeming with opportunities and alive with possibilities.”

    Speaking in Asaba on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uduaghan urged Utomi not to sacrifice the truth on the altar of political expediencies.

    He described  Utomi as someone who lacks practical execution of his ideologies.

    “If Prof Utomi attends any of the meetings, he will not spend more than five minutes. He bragged about his reach internationally, how he was going to bring international investors and we had to partner with him to organise a business forum outside the country with Nigerians in the Diaspora for us to get the investors, but he did not spend five minutes before he left us; no investor came to the state through him.

    “You people should ask Prof, where is the Silicon Valley? He took us to his home town, Ibusa for the foundation laying ceremony of Silicon Valley, till date, there is nothing to show that the project has commenced.

    “He has contested for the presidency, he now wants to be the governor but, I think he should start from his ward; he should contest for councillor,” Uduaghan said.

    He urged Utomi to stop condemning Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

    “It is not good to condemn what the incumbent governor is doing because of your ambition, rather, you should bring out your programmes and sell to the people.

    “Every man has a right to aspire to any political office in the country, but such person must not tell lies about government to achieve his aspiration.”

    “Tell the people what you can do for them, do not spread lies. Governor Okowa has done excellently well and we should join hands with him to develop the state.”

  • Delta 2019: Uduaghan, Okowa close ranks

    The Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday spurned rumours of existing acrimony between them as they rallied members of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state, to mobilise for support ahead of Delta 2019.

    The media had been awash with reports of existing cold war between the two during the run-up to the 2015 general elections and further fueled by various instances of unfriendly occasional sparks and proxy attacks against each other by members of their various camps.

    However, at a meeting of the Delta South Senatorial District PDP stakeholders, held yesterday in the Warri residence of Dr Uduaghan, both leaders of the PDP charged their followers to work for the progress of the party, with the former governor tacitly endorsing his successor by acknowledging his positive progress in office.

    “I want to acknowledge what Okowa is doing in the state, you are moving forward and by the grace of God you will achieve great. We should avoid rumour mongering; it will not do us any good. James Ibori is ready to hold us together as one party in Delta, so it is where our leader goes that we will go,” he said.

    Responding, Okowa urged the people of the state to embrace peace so that the works towards a developed Delta might be fruitful, noting that there would be no appreciable development without a peaceful environment.

    He expressed the hope that with the relative peace that had returned to the state in recent times, Delta would soon climb to the second position in terms of revenue allocation.

  • Uduaghan, others attend ex-governor’s thanksgiving

    Oghara, the home town of former Delta State Governor James Ibori, yesterday hosted top politicians, monarchs and clerics for the community’s special thanksgiving service for the former governor.

    The church service, which was held at the town’s First Baptist Church, was organised by the community to thank God for Ibori’s release from a United Kingdom (UK) prison, after serving a jail term for almost five years for money laundering.

    Top political associates and followers of the former governor attended the service.

    They included former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Festus Ovie-Agas, Senators Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Patrick Osakwe and Ighoyota Amori.

    Others were members of the State Executive Cuncil (Exco) and lawmakers, including House of Assembly Speaker Monday Igbuya and Ibori’s daughter, who is a member of the Assembly, Erhiateake Ibori.

    Traditional rulers at the event included the Ovie of Oghara Kingdom, Noble Eshemitan and Pere of Akegbene-Mein Kingdom, Pere Kalanama VII.

    Artistes at the church service were Ras Kimono, Orits Wiliki and Ras Father.

  • Okowa, Uduaghan, others visit Ibori

    Okowa, Uduaghan, others visit Ibori

    The Oghara, Delta State home of former Governor James Ibori remained a beehive of activities yesterday with the visit of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his predecessor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

    Ibori, who served a jail term in London for money laundering, returned to the country on Saturday.

    Others who visited are Deputy Governor Kinsley Otuaro, Senator James Manager, Ibori’s former deputy Benjamin Elue, and a former commissioner, Prof. Godwin Darah.

    Uduaghan arrived at Ibori’s expansive Villa at about 3:30pm. He was joined by Okowa at about 4:15pm.

    Access into the house was restricted to reporters.

    Although sources suggested there was a closed-door meeting between Ibori and Okowa/Uduaghan, others at the residence said there was no special meeting as all guests were seated in the living room exchanging banters.

    “I was there and I can tell you that there was no special meeting. They were all there privately,” a source said.

    As at the time of filing this report at 6pm , the governor’s entourage was still at Oghara.

  • Uduaghan warns Ibori’s visitors over conduct

    Uduaghan warns Ibori’s visitors over conduct

    •Ex- governor may bar visitors

    Former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has cautioned supporters of his predecessor, Chief James Ibori, not to create more problems for him through unbridled celebration of his release from London prison.
    The London residence of Ibori has become a Mecca of sorts for Delta State politicians since his release from prison
    He was jailed for 13 years for money laundering and other corruption related crimes.
    Ibori, who was the governor of the oil-rich state between 1999 and 2007, was released from a United Kingdom prison last Wednesday.
    The Southwark Crown Court jailed him on April 17, 2012 after he pleaded guilty to a 10-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.
    Since his release, friends, family member and political associates have been paying him visits in his London home.
    Uduaghan, who spoke with our reporter on telephone, expressed concern that Ibori’s well-wishers’ actions could expose him to more political problems.
    Among politicians who have visited Ibori are House of Assembly Speaker Monday Igbuya, Senator Ighoyota Amori and Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, who sensationally declared that Ibori facilitated the emergence of Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara. But Dogara has since denied having any political relationship with Ibori.
    Nwaoboshi, in a video widely circulated on social media, said Ibori made a governor, senators (himself as one), made his daughter Eriatake Ibori a state lawmaker, among others.
    The video drew public criticisms with many already calling for Ibori’s extradition and further prosecution in Nigeria.
    Uduaghan, who is Ibori’s cousin, lamented that such showoffs by Ibori’s supporters could turn to haunt him.
    He such utterance and boisterous celebration were capable of creating more problems for the ex-convict former governor.
    “For those going to London to see Chief James Ibori and posting pictures and making statements, please stop it.
    ”We appreciate your love for him. But you can go quietly without the unnecessary publicity.
    ”You are creating problems for him that you can never imagine.
    ”Nigeria is a complex country and you must understand and respect people’s sensibilities,” Uduaghan added in a statement posted on his Facebook.
    Sources close to Ibori in London confided in our reporter that he was very distressed by the conduct of some of his associates who visited.
    “This (Tuesday) morning we saw papers from Nigeria; they were sent to us by friends. What we saw and reports about the visits and obvious show of exuberance was distressing to him.
    ”He has refused to see some visitors today and might stop receiving people because of these actions,” the source, who asked not to be named, added.

  • NHRC wrong to include my name, says Uduaghan

    NHRC wrong to include my name, says Uduaghan

    Former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday accused the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of not thoroughly studying the circumstances surrounding the nullification of his 2007 electoral  victory before including his name in the list of poll offenders.

     He said, he was wrongly removed by the Appeal Court, adding that the position of law on the “burden of proof” which the court relied on to nullify the election had been clarified by landmark rulings and judgment, which reverted the onus to the accuser.

    “Therefore the Appeal Court judgment in Benin was wrongly against me. Unfortunately, the National Human Rights Commission did not study my case properly before making their recommendation,” he told our reporter on the telephone last night

    Uduaghan, who described the report as lazy, insisted that his name wouldn’t have been included if the commission had looked at the circumstances that led to the nullification, adding a latter clarification on the position of the law on “burden of proof” had since emerged that he was wrongly removed as governor by the Appeal Court sitting in Benin.

    He said: “The Court of Appeal nullified my 2007 election based on the law of burden of proof: Who does the burden of proof rest on? The petitioner or the respondent?

     “My 2007 governorship election was nullified in November 2010 on the basis of the decision by the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, that a petitioner who lost election at the polling centre claiming before the tribunal that no election took place, has no burden of proving his assertion, as the burden rests on the party that asserts that election took place.

     “That led to the re-run election. I could not go to the Supreme Court then because governorship cases ended at the Appeal Court.

     “However, the decision of burden of proof was finally laid to rest in the case of the 2011 Presidential election between the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) versus INEC where the election of the President was questioned.

     “The Petitioner (CPC) alleged non-compliance with the electoral process. But the Supreme Court ruled that there can be no passing the bucket until the petitioner has discharged the onus cast on him by law, meaning the onus does not shift to the respondent.”

  • My inclusion on election offenders’ list wrong – Uduaghan

    My inclusion on election offenders’ list wrong – Uduaghan

    A Former Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has accused the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of not thoroughly studying the circumstance surrounding the nullification of his victory in the 2007 governorship poll before including his name in the list of electoral offenders released on Thursday.

    While asserting that he was wrongly removed by the Appeal Court, the former governor said the position of law on the “burden of proof” which the court relied on to nullify the election had been clarified by landmark rulings and judgments, which reverted the onus to the accuser.

    “Therefore the Appeal Court judgement in Benin was wrongly used against me. Unfortunately, the National Human Rights Commission did not study my case properly before making their recommendation,” he said during a telephone chat with our correspondent.

    Uduaghan, who described the report as lazy, insisted that his name wouldn’t have been included if the commission had looked at the circumstances that led to the nullification, adding that a latter clarification on the position of the law on “burden of proof” had since emerged that he was wrongly removed as governor by the Court of Appeal, Benin.

    He added, “The Court of Appeal nullified my 2007 election based on the law of burden of proof. Who does the burden of proof rest on, the petitioner or the respondent?”

  • Uduaghan urges dialogue with Avengers

    Uduaghan urges dialogue with Avengers

    Former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has advised the Federal Government to consider engagement and dialogue as an option towards arresting the upsurge of militancy in the Niger Delta.

    Recent attacks by the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, has crippled oil and gas production from Delta/Bayelsa axis of the Niger Delta and the ex-governor said peaceful engagement is the best option available.

    The former governor who was a key player in the amnesty offer to former militants,  said the engagement should be between regional leaders on one hand and another between the leaders and the Federal Government.

    Uduaghan, who spoke in the wake of unrelenting attacks on facilities in the Warri area, especially those of Chevron Nigeria, lamented that:

    “The bombings are damaging our environment and it will take several years to rebuild.

    “I want to advise the Federal Government to take the issue of dialogue very seriously because I believe that is the solution to the current crisis.

    “The leaders of the Niger Delta should come together and engage ourselves to find solution to the problem.”

    Speaking on rumour that there are external forces involved in the latest attacks, he said, “I do not think so because there is enough of issues in the region to cause what’s happening.

    Dr Uduaghan also advised his successor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, to step up dialogue, engagement and improve on intelligence gathering to assist the Federal Government in dealing with the situation.

    He advised those behind the attacks to rethink their action because of the economic challenges it is posing for the nation and ecological destruction to their region.

  • Uduaghan calls for calm, says Okowa will emerge victorious

    Uduaghan calls for calm, says Okowa will emerge victorious

    The immediate past Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, wants Deltans, especially members of the Peoples Democratic Party to remain calm and steadfast following the tribunal ruling nullifying the election of Governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State. He said there is no cause for alarm in Delta State.

    Dr. Uduaghan in a statement yesterday said the governorship election in Delta State was free and fair and devoid of violence, adding “the international observers who monitored the governorship election in Delta State affirmed the results as being free, fair and without any form of violence.”

    Giving further reasons why the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, defeated other governorship candidates at the election, the former governor said: “In Delta State, PDP was the only party that campaigned vigorously and was in touch with the voters even at the grassroots level. We worked hard for our candidate.

    “So I am appealing to our supporters to remain calm while we await the tribunal ruling on Monday. There is no cause for alarm as I am sure that those who went to the tribunal were aware that they have no case and the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa will emerge victorious at the end of the day.”

  • Ibori, Uduaghan, Okowa and Delta’s N0.64tr debt

    Ibori, Uduaghan, Okowa and Delta’s N0.64tr debt

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa last weekend stunned the state when he announced that his predecessor and former boss, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, left a whopping N637 billion debts in various forms.

    •Okowa
    •Okowa

    Okowa told members of the Delta State House of Assembly, most of whom were part of the past 5th Assembly, that his administration inherited a debt profile of N637.22 billion.

    According to Prince Victor Efeizomor, the governor’s Press Secretary, “ Giving a breakdown of the debt profile, Okowa disclosed that N98.62 billion is as a result of Revenue Bond and indebtedness to commercial banks, while outstanding contractual obligations stood at N538, 601,962,421.50.”

    By that revelation, Delta state vaulted to the top ‘States in Debt’ table. From the figure, which is yet to be disputed by the former governor, the state’s debt profile is higher than that of Lagos and a few others combined.

    More worrying for citizens of the state, is the disclosure by Oghenejabor Ikimi of the Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged, who posited that that the state owed over N1 trillion to creditors. Ikimi cited a report by the transition committee in arriving at the figure.

    He said, “Though we are not oblivious of the fact that the actual debt burden of the State is well over a trillion naira as revealed in the transition committee report submitted to the incumbent Governor, we wonder why the State Governor has settled for the above sum of N636 billion.

    “We therefore call on the incumbent Governor for the avoidance of doubt to immediately publish the full extract of his transition committee report in the above regard as the above subject, such as the debt profile of the State cannot be traded for politics as same is not a PDP family affair or an Ibori Political family affair. “

    Ikimi’s parting shot was pregnant and in consonance with feelings of a section of the state, particularly the opposition All Progressive Congress, that the incumbent governor cannot extricate himself from the political merry ground that plunged the state into the chasm of debt. Besides being the Secretary to the Government during Uduaghan’s first tenure, Okowa was a serial commissioner under the eight-year two tenures of Governor James Ibori and therefore a partaker by association, at least.

    The ‘Debt Statement’ was also silent on how much of the debt went into the prosecution of the 2015 election both for Okowa and the state’s People’s Democratic Party candidates in the various positions. It was gathered that his Campaign Organization presented a whopping bill of N3.5billion to then Governor Uduaghan to enable it succeed at the polls. Although it could not be ascertained how the fund was sourced, a source close to the party leadership and the former governor disclosed that the budget was funded thoroughly without a review.

    Our source said, “Just weeks to the governorship election, N3bn had been released to the committee and I am sure the N500m balance was also released.”.

    It was against the above background that the APC in the state accused Okowa of being part of the cabal that plunged the state into that depth in the pit of debt.

    APC’s Media Adviser in Delta state, Dr Martins Mukoro, in a press release slammed Okowa for shedding ‘crocodile tears’ urging the people of the state not to get carried away by the subterfuge.

    Mukoro said Okowa’s lamentation was merely to prepare the minds of Deltans for another jamboree in the debt market, adding that he represented the misrule that had bedeviled the state in the hands of the PDP over the past 16 years.

     

    •Uduaghan
    •Uduaghan

    “From Gov Okowa’s days as Commissioner under Gov Ibori to his days as the Secretary to the Government under Gov Uduaghan that accumulated these debts , he has no moral excuse to attempt to distance himself as if he was an on-looker or bystander while the state was being wrecked!

    “Gov Okowa was not an onlooker but a key participant and a major co-conspirator in wrecking the finances and Economy of Delta State and he is in no position to rescue Delta from the mess created by him and the past PDP Administrations.”