By Okpalaume Mary
Representative of Delta Central interest in last year’s national conference and a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Prof. Godini Gabriel Dara has said that allowing the All Progressive Congress’ standard bearer, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari to clinch victory in the April 2015 poll will spell doom for the Niger Delta region disclosing that there were plots to remove the 13 percent oil derivative and disband other bodies the Niger Delta region is currently benefiting from.
Prof. Dara who spoke with news men recently enumerated the many benefits derived from the 13 percent derivative from the federal government and reiterated the move to cancel such benefits as well as several institutions like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) during the last national conference. He stated that such benefits would be denied the oil producing region if APC’s presidential candidate is voted into power.
“I, as a professor of resource control, am able to predict the doom that will befall this Niger Delta region if Buhari becomes president because the only reason why we are able to say this is a road here or a hospital in Oghara is because of the 13 percent. If we didn’t have that additional financial advantage, we would be like any other state in the country and a regime of APC will wipe that out. That is the first thing they will do because I was in the national conference and I was confronted by his own people there who want to eliminate the 13 percent derivative, remove ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, close down the NDDC and of course in Delta State’s DESOPADEC will go. It is a disaster that we must work hard to avoid.”
Reacting on the INEC’s postponement of the elections to later dates, Prof. Dara commended INEC and described the postponement as justified. He however denied that the postponement does not have any political undertone as the ruling party, PDP, is not afraid to have an election.
“I think that is cheap propaganda; because the PDP is the one running the federal government so it is the target of all allegations. But PDP is not the only party in the country. Other parties are running their own states too; they are running their government. So they are all in government. It is wrong to isolate the PDP as the one that is interested in the postponement. PDP has the control of about 21 states. so why would PDP be hesitant to have election when it has such widespread?”
While admonishing Nigerians to endeavour to exercise their civic duties on March 28 and April 11, Prof. Dara advised citizens to vote according to the candidate’s record of performance.
