•Delta 2015: ‘Urhobos will take their rightful place’

Recent activities of a former Secretary to Delta State Government (SSG)  and incumbent Chairman of Urhobo Political Congress (UPC),  Chief Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, has placed him in the forefront of the struggle for Urhobo unity and eradication of the wrong notion of betrayal of the Urhobo cause.  In this interview, the legal luminary bares his mind on several issues which include the last Delta Central Senatorial election, his role in Delta State politics and the chances of President Goodluck in 2015.  Excerpts:

BY EPHRAIM OSEJI

Until you withdrew from the last Delta Central senatorial election, you were considered the front runner. How is it like to withdraw from the race you were well positioned to win?
It was not an easy decision for me and my supporters but it was one we had to make when we realized that I will not be the candidate of the party. We ran a good campaign that was focused on issues that are important to the people. I am proud of what we did. Once again I want to thank the team that worked with me and our supporters for their understanding of the circumstances that led to my withdrawal and their continued support.

Why was the election so important to you that even after you withdrew from the race, you worked so hard to ensure that your party’s nominee wins?
You will recall that beginning from the 2007 elections, Delta Central shifted their support from the PDP to the opposition Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and we were left out of the coalition that elected Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan in 2007, 2010 and 2011 and became isolated in the politics of our state. As the majority ethnic group, this was not acceptable. We cannot afford to let others continue to decide who governs the state without Urhobos having a say. So it was very important that we end this isolation and reclaim the leadership role which our demography bestows on us.

That was what my campaign for the Senate was all about. I truly believe that the Urhobo nation will not have a strong voice in the politics of our state and country if we remained in opposition. I saw the senatorial bye election as an opportunity to end the isolation. The campaign was not about me. It was about ending our isolation in affairs of our state by repositioning my senatorial district in the PDP for the challenges ahead.  So it was easy for me to continue with the same drive after my withdrawal from the race.  And I am very glad that the people of Delta Central responded positively to our message by voting overwhelmingly for the candidate of People’s Democratic Party, Senator Emmanuel Agwariavwodo.

PDP won the election with a very wide margin. How was this achieved by the party given that a few years ago PDP lost the senatorial seat to DPP with a wide margin?
We won because we were better organized and united. We must commend Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for his strong leadership in making this possible in the election and a solid record to run on. On the other hand, the opposition was fragmented.  The major opposition party, DPP, was split into two factions with one faction moving to the new All Peoples Congress which had no unified structure to pose any serious threat to the PDP. Our formidable structure across the length and breadth of the Delta Central senatorial district was superior.

More importantly however we also had a simple but effective message which the voters understood and believed. And the message was that the isolation and marginalization of the Urhobo nation was not acceptable and the PDP is the party that can pull us out of political wilderness. The opposition had the same message but fortunately for us the electorate did not believe the opposition candidates that they can end the marginalization.

And they were right because the opposition does not have what it takes to give the Urhobo a strong voice in the affairs of the state and country because they are not in power at both levels of government. It was dishonest for the opposition to say they could wield such political influence. Thus, with unity, better organization, superior and believable message on our side and defections of prominent members of the opposition parties to the PDP, there could be only one outcome, victory for the PDP.

As the National Chairman of UPC, what challenges do the  defection of Chief Amori from UPC to form UPF pose to Urhobo unity and interest in 2015 and how do you intend to manage this unwelcome development?
I do not think the split in the UPC will affect the unity of the party in any way. We are all committed to the party even though we may belong to different groups. We are united by a common purpose of ensuring that the PDP retains power in 2015 at state and national levels.  We also have the common desire that Urhobo assumes its proper role in the state and country. Perhaps UPC and other groups may support different candidates in the primaries but once the party concludes its primaries we all will work for the candidates of the party at the general elections.

I have no doubts that that will be the case. I also do not see how this will jeopardize Urhobo interest once it is defined in the contest of 2015 elections. However, we will try to reconcile our differences and unite both groups again to have a stronger voice in the politics of the party.

What is your assessment of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration so far? Do you think he deserves to be re-elected?
President Goodluck Jonathan promised us during the campaign that he will transform Nigeria. He was given the mandate to make change happen so Nigeria can fulfill its promise. So far the president has not disappointed. He has been a creative, decisive and visionary leader that has demonstrated boldness and strength of purpose in handling the problems that confront us as a nation. Nigerians voted for a transformational leader and I believe he has risen to the occasion.

He has brought the Boko Haram insurgency in the North under control after showing courage in declaring state of emergency in some states. He has unbundled PHCN and privatized the power sector to make the sector more efficient. Nigeria will soon have uninterrupted power supply, so Nigerians do not have to generate their own electricity to power their homes and businesses, so foreign investors can come to Nigeria to invest because about 40% of their operating cost on power has been eliminated.

As a consequence, the manufacturing sector will soon flourish to create employment opportunities for our people and hence improve security as our youths are becoming gainfully employed. We have all seen the impact of the privatization of the telecommunication sector on the economy.  The multiplier impact of the privatization of power will even be much greater.

Under this administration, we have recorded consistent high economic growth. In agriculture, we are 60 percent self-sufficient in rice production and, by 2015; we hope to be fully self-sufficient. For the first time, last year, Nigeria achieved commercial scale export of chips when it began the export of cassava chips. We are the largest producers of cassava in the world. Trains are now running again between Lagos and Kano and our airports have been modernized.

The National Conference, which the president has offered Nigeria, showed how determined the president is in changing Nigeria for the better because a successful National Conference will benefit our nation in every area of our national life.
With all these achievements, the president deserves to be re-elected to continue the good work he has started because there is still so much to be done and I sincerely hope that he will contest the election. Any decision not to contest will be unacceptable to all of us in the Niger Delta.

Five governors of PDP have joined the opposition APC. What is your take on this development? How will this affect the growth of democracy in Nigeria in general and the chances of President Jonathan in winning re-election if he chooses to contest?
The changing dynamics in our political landscape will enhance the growth of democracy because it will engender greater competition for political power.  More competition will mean improved performance which will ultimately benefit the people. However, as a member of the PDP and supporter of Mr. President, I would have preferred a situation where the governors remained in the party because it is not the wish of any party to lose its members to the opposition.

As  I said earlier, the president deserves to be re-elected and the defection of these governors will not change that because, at the end of the day, Nigerians are seeing the difference this administration is making in their lives. We the supporters of the president just need to work harder to expand the support base of the president and assist him to build a winning coalition.

What do you expect the National Conference to achieve?
The National Conference is long overdue and for the president to have a change of heart on this issue is commendable. Perhaps he has come to realize that the structural defects in the system are too strong to be ignored. I believe that these structural defects that have prevented us from developing despite our huge human and natural resources must be corrected if we are to industrialize and develop.

President Goodluck Jonathan wave to the crowd shortly after the conferment of se -lo-lia (Star of the Nation) on him during the courtesy visit to the king for the burial of the first Lady’s mother , Madam fynface Oba in Okireka , River state …yesterday

I expect that at the end of the conference substantial resources and responsibilities would have been moved from the jurisdiction of the federal government to the state and local governments. It is equally important issues of resource control and derivation are resolved once and for all so that the federating units can compete and develop at their pace as was the case during the first republic. I also expect the policing of the country to be decentralized to address the rising security challenge.

We have observed that no Urhobo man has indicated interest on the governorship position of Delta State in 2015 on the platform of the PDP.  Can this be interpreted to mean that Delta Central PDP accepts the arguments of Delta North that it is their turn to produce the next governor of Delta State in accordance with the PDP power rotation among the senatorial districts?

The decision to run for any office is a personal decision and it is not one you take lightly. In making that decision, there are certain questions you must answer. First, what are the chances of winning?  If you think you have a reasonable chance of winning, then you must ask yourself, ‘can I raise the necessary funds to prosecute the campaign? Do I have the time to campaign? Can I cope with the demands?’ And many more questions depending on your situation. It is not a decision you have to rush. I believe that if anybody in Delta Central comes to the conclusion that he can win under the platform of PDP and have the resources and time to run the race he will declare. There is still time for anyone to enter the race.

You contested the PDP gubernatorial primaries in 2007 in which you came second to Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan who eventually won the election.  His victory was seen by a segment of Deltans particularly the Urhobo as an imposition which they resisted for so long. You were at the forefront of this opposition to Uduaghan. It is on record that you were the only prominent politician in PDP who stepped forward in response to the wishes of your people to challenge Uduaghan yet you are being accused of betraying the Urhobo interest. What do you have to say on these allegations?
It is true that I contested against Governor Uduaghan in 2010 and 2011 but thank God we have reconciled our differences and I am back to the PDP. These allegations and rumours of betrayal are lies intended to mislead the Urhobo people by my political detractors who are ready to do or say anything and everything to undermine me.