Frank Efe
Elder statesman Chief Edwin K. Clark, yesterday, urged Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Victor Ochei, to bury their gubernatorial dreams.
At a press briefing in Warri, Chief Clark made it clear to the Minster that PDP and the Ijaws will not support his 2015 governorship ambition and advised him to withdraw from the race now and not heat up the polity.
The former Senator said he was surprised to hear the rumours when he came back from the UK where he underwent a medical check-up that Elder Orubebe is campaigning to become the next Delta State Governor.
Chief Clark who denied ever supporting Elder Orubebe’s ambition said; “Our opponents and detractors are definitely cashing in on Elder Orubebe’s careless and irresponsible statement and are now using it to insult President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the Ijaws and even myself that the President and I are definitely behind him. I have tried to disabuse the minds of the people and denied that neither Mr. President nor I is aware of Elder Orubebe’s statement.”
He said that the position of President Jonathan still remains clear on the matter, adding that; “President Jonathan has categorically stated that he was not going to take a decision on whether he will re-contest the Presidential election in 2015 or not, until 2014 and that he needed time to concentrate on the job he promised Nigerians during 2011 election when they massively voted for him.”
Chief Clark further added that Elder Orubebe has flagrantly disobeyed the order of President Jonathan who has ordered all his ministers not to campaign for any elective position.
He noted that Elder Orubebe was wrong when he asserted that the governorship should be produced on the basis of ethnicity, saying the five ethnic groups had lived together as one and he (Orubebe) should not try to pitch one ethnic nationality against the other.
He also appealed to detractors who had resorted to abuse and insult on President Jonathan, the Ijaws and himself for no justifiable reason to desist from it.
He further pointed out that President Jonathan is the President of Nigeria and not the President of only the Ijaws, emphasizing that the Ijaws alone cannot force a president on Nigerians.
Chief Clark also advised the Speaker of the Delta state House of Assembly, Hon. Victor Ochei who is also nursing the governorship ambition, to drop the idea, just as he reminded him that he still has a case to answer with the EFCC for a twenty seven billion naira Independent Power Project contract that has been allegedly abandoned at Oghara, Delta State.
He said;”I wish to advice Godsday Orubebe and Victor Ochei to give peace a chance and not use their positions to intimidate and cause confusion amongst the people.”
“When the PDP gives the go ahead for aspirants to indicate their interest, the people of Delta State will then decide who will be their governor and where he will come from. Meanwhile the Delta state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan is keeping to his own side of the reconciliation and we also have a duty to support him.”
