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Tag: Uduaghan

  • BREAKING: Former Delta Gov, Uduaghan dumps PDP, defects to APC

    BREAKING: Former Delta Gov, Uduaghan dumps PDP, defects to APC

    …meets Buhari, attend apc caucus meeting

    The immediate past governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan on Tuesday formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after weeks of speculations.

    Uduaghan who served two terms as governor of Delta State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made the declaration in a statement he personally signed and exclusively sent to TNG ahead of the meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The medical doctor turned politician also turned heads when he attended the APC caucus meeting at the presidential villa on Tuesday night.

    Since returning to democracy in 1999, Delta State has remained under the stronghold of the PDP.

    Read Uduaghan’s full statement below:

     

    MOVING ON TO THE BIGGER PLAYING FIELD.
    by
    Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan CON immediate past Governor of Delta State.

    The toughest challenge for any leader in the Niger Delta since 1997 has been the issue of Peace and Security. For over 12 years, I was deeply involved in the management of the issues of the region, first as Secretary to State Government, SSG, and then as Governor of Delta State for 8 years. Strategically, we had ENGAGEMENT as our major tool. This involved government officials, with me in the forefront (sometimes personally going into the creeks without security at nocturnal hours), community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, our youths, retired military officers, activists, etc. Of course, ensuring that Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, was active was also part of the engagement process.

    ENCOURAGING INTERESTS, ACTIVITIES
    Since the inception of the current All Progressives Congress, APC, administration at the federal level, there has been an encouraging interest and activities by President Muhammadu Buhari to bring a permanent solution to the Niger Delta crisis. This has pointed in a direction that is at once progressive and developmental.
    Topmost in these activities are the ENGAGEMENT PROCESSES. Rather than using the military to harass our people, the Buhari administration has embarked on various engagement processes that have led to agreements and brought hope to the people of the Niger Delta. In the last years, Mr. President has personally engaged several regional leaders and youths. Senior officials of his administration also engaged many Niger Delta leaders and youths. Very significant is that Mr. President mandated the Vice President Prof Yemi Osibajo SAN, to visit virtually all the oil producing states, engaging various stakeholders. This is unprecedented in the history of the region. Such engagement processes have brought some measure of peace in the Niger Delta. Things can only get better.

    Beyond the engagement processes, however, the Buhari administration has embarked on some infrastructural and human capital development activities in the region. In Delta State, the opening of a Maritime University; the setting up of a steering committee for the EPZ (GAS CITY), the plan for a deep sea port, the dredging of the Escravos-Warri River; the opening of the railway line to Delta Steel Company, the soon to be flagged off, by Mr. President, the Omadino-Escravos Road that will pass through many riverine communities; the various road construction works by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the various TCN projects across the State are some of the positive activities in the region.

    There are also various human capital development programmes especially the school feeding and the “social security net” that is making 5,000 Naira available to the poor, the continuation of the YouWin programme, the various SME programmes, and several other projects across the region have brought hope to the people.

    Indeed, once Mr. President was able to set his priorities pursuant to creating an environment for peace in the region, it became incumbent on every well-meaning Niger Deltan and Nigerian to assist the process of building an economically prosperous nation.
    In this era of partisan politics, it is necessary for the people of the Niger Delta, and Delta State in particular, to identify more with the Federal Government led by the APC. By so doing, we can push some of the agreements between our leaders and the Federal Government through, and also engage the government to do more. Politics is about interests. The Niger Delta is a major area of interest for me, because I staked my life going into the creeks severally without security and sometimes coming back at night negotiating peace. I will, therefore, give the strongest support to any President that shows commitment in the affairs of the Niger Delta. I call on, and enjoin, other well-meaning leaders in the region, who have very useful contributions to make, to come on board and join hands in helping this Federal Government to pursue a robust development agenda that would uplift our people. Whatever milestone that appears not to have been achieved yet is not for lack of efforts. Joining hands with and supporting the process will lead to a faster delivery on expectations.

    It is in the pursuit of this noble objective that I’m offering myself to help drive a process that would give the lives of our people in the Niger Delta more meaning. President Muhammadu Buhari needs people who will join hands with him to uplift our people. From my political experience, you have to be well represented and actively so at the “board room” when decisions are being taken. Delta State must be well represented. Niger Delta must be well represented.
    It is noteworthy to state that some organisations have been deeply involved in efforts to develop the Niger Delta and can always be relied on to collaborate with our President. It is also noteworthy to add that some previous administrations made significant efforts to develop the region. The current administration made such a significant impact in spite of the fact that apart from Edo State, President Buhari did not score the required 25% in the entire Niger Delta in the election that brought him into government in 2015. This speak volumes of his genuineness to uplift the Niger Delta. Such an administration should be encouraged by the people of the Niger Delta. We can never be sure of the genuiness of another person who becomes the President.
    I have, therefore, after series of consultations and prayers, taken the decision to leave the PDP and join the APC. In doing this, I want to thank the numerous leaders, supporters and interest groups that have been urging me to remain in PDP. I am happy that after explaining some of the deeper issues to you, some of you that are politicians have agreed to join the APC in the near future. So I am going into APC as “John the Baptist” to the numerous Deltans that are coming in, soon – very soon.

    God bless you all.

  • BREAKING: Finally, Uduaghan, Utomi reconcile

    The brawl between former Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and renowned economist, Prof. Pat Utomi was on Saturday put to rest.

    The war of words between the Delta State 2019 All Progressives Congress, APC governorship aspirant, Prof. Pat Utomi and the immediate past governor of the state, lasted for months.

    However, in the early hours of Saturday, both men were reconciled by the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.

    Recall TheNewsGuru.com had earlier published in details, reports of the altercation between the duo [Uduaghan and Utomi], which was fueled by comments made by the renowned economist, Utomi, that all past governments in Delta State have failed the people.

    Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, responded by describing Utomi, who is seeking to become the governor of Delta State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, as a failed businessman and economist.

    Dr. Utomi, in response to Dr. Uduaghan’s charge on him (Utomi) to start his aspiration from the councillorship level, urged the former governor to give account of the N20 billion expended on the Independent Power Project, IPP.

    Uduaghan, responded by affirming that Utomi does not have what it takes to be governor of Delta State given what he claimed were Utomi’s legacies at Volkswagen Nigeria and as coordinator of the South-South Summit held in Asaba, Delta State.

     

    In the course of their streams of exchange of invective, Utomi was himself put under more pressure after Chief Paulinus Akpeki, a former commissioner in the state who served as an adviser to Uduaghan, said his former boss brought meaningful impact to the development of the state.

    Udugahan had also during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Asaba at the time, urged Utomi to contest the councillorship seat in his ward and stop spreading falsehood against past leaders of the state in his quest to contest the 2019 governorship election.

    But Utomi said that he will prefer that “Uduaghan gives account for the Independent Power Plant, IPP project abandoned in Oghara which has gulped over N20 billion.”

     

  • Group shames Utomi, says his Agricultural Produce City in Edo now desolate

    Delta State 2019, All Progressive Congress, APC governorship aspirant, Prof. Pat Utomi struggled last week to survive the barrage of criticism levelled against him by former Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan by dressing-down the Uduaghan-led administration and citing some of his own achievements.

    However, with a new statement from the members of trustee of a social group, Edo Forum of Patriots, EFP, one of the balloon accomplishments cited by Utomi was badly deflated and this has again put the ‘prof’ on a hot seat in the ongoing brawl between him and the former Delta governor.

    Recall TheNewsGuru.com had earlier published some of the war of words interchanged between Uduaghan and the renowned economist.

    In the course of replying Uduaghan’s salvo of accusations which portrayed him as incompetent, Utomi praised himself in a media report, stating how he designed an economic initiative for Edo State, the Agricultural Produce City, which he also claimed is in full operation.

    Meanwhile, this has attracted a reaction from Rt. Hon. Bright Omokhodion, a member of the EFP said the supposed Agricultural Produce City is at present a desolate project overtaken by weeds.

    The statement from the group further reads, “The Professor was quoted as saying “as we speak, more than one hundred hectares of jungle has been cleared and is continuing. An Independent Power Project (IPP) to power the Produce City in Edo state has commenced activities and hundreds of millions of Naira in investments have also been committed. In 5 years there will be more than 20,000 quality jobs created in that location.”

    “While not joining issues with the famous Professor, or attempting to take a side in his fall out with ex-Governor Uduaghan, we as a pan Edo sociocultural group committed to the defence of the interests of Edo people worldwide wishes to put the records straight.

    “It is true that Prof. Utomi in collaboration with the former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole bulldozed a large portion of land in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo state for the purpose of setting up an Agricultural Produce City. Indeed the project was launched with fanfare in the twilight of Oshiomhole’s administration.

    “Sadly, after the official opening ceremony, the caterpillars and bulldozers have all disappeared. As we speak the vast land is not only desolate but has been overgrown by weeds. No single activity is going on there, talk more of employing willing youths in the area.

    “As a matter of fact, the host community believes that the whole idea about the Agricultural Produce City was geared towards handing over their land to Prof. Pat Utomi and his business partners. They feel shortchanged and have been made to hold the short end of the stick. In essence, there is no Agricultural Produce City that is thriving and ongoing in Edo state as suggested.”

  • Ex-Delta Commissioner to Utomi: Your unguarded outbursts unfit for politics

    Former Commissioner of Education, Delta State, Tony Nwaka has cautioned the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship aspirant, Prof. Pat Utomi over his response, published in a national daily today [Not on TheNewsGuru.com] to Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan.

    Recall TheNewsGuru.com had earlier published some reports on the ongoing feud between Utomi and Uduaghan.

    Nwaka in his article titled: “My humble advice for Prof. Utomi” advised the Lagos based economist [Utomi] to learn how to absorb criticism in good faith, stressing that his unguarded outbursts makes him unfit for politics.

    He said, “My learned brother. I think it is uncharitable when you describe people who disagree with your position as “the ignoramuses,” “people who couldn’t think,” “these morons,” and “that person is really stupid.” To my mind, such unguarded outbursts tend to question not just your temperament for political leadership but the sense of humility upon which great inter-group exploits are founded.”

    Read Nwaka’s full article: “Sir, I am able to deduce from your submissions that you are not averse to offering your services to our people on a political level. I truly commend such noble disposition to public service. Evidently, it would afford the state a wider range of options from which to elect our best. Your globally acclaimed professional qualifications will, no doubt, illuminate the process of governance.

    “As I said in a related post, I do not intend to explore the details or veracity of the various claims and counter claims between you and your friend, ex Governor Uduaghan. You are both masters of your vocations. So, I defer to you such knowledge and mastery of your crafts as lesser mortals like me could only peep from afar.

    “However, I read your response to Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan in today’s PUNCH newspaper, and I must say it is regrettable that the argument degenerated to that level. Prof, sir. As much as I acknowledge your excellent mental power, I am constrained to take exception to some elements of your language in the said publication.

    “Honestly, as I perused the report I was captivated by the exemplary lucidity with which you raised some very vital issues. In fact, I believe many persons would be prompted by the depth of your submission to expect a commensurate response from the other side of the divide. Sadly, I was taken aback when I began to see in the text, words that, ordinarily, shouldn’t be products of your revered faculties.

    “I admit that you may have been hurt by the remarks of the former governor. But when you deployed such intemperate words as “silly controversy,” “the ignoramuses,” “people who couldn’t think,” “these morons,” and “that person is really stupid,” I began to wonder if they truly came from the Prof. Pat Utomi, whose cerebral pedigree I so much admire.

    “Sir, please permit me to say that in the political arena, the leadership of which you are currently in contemplation, it is not everyone that has the capacity of your intellect. Neither does everyone in the field think all must follow the same pathway to the promised land. I am inclined to believe you know that the position of governor or president also makes you a political leader.

    “Accordingly, politics and governance are theaters where, whatever your convictions, you are compelled to work in agreement with persons and institutions that may not share in your vision. It therefore means that considerable political skills are required to galvanize such competing demands for optimal service delivery.

    “No one is in doubt of your intellectual power. We all have seen it flourish in the academia and the corporate world. Even the said PUNCH interview would have been a masterpiece, were it not for the offensive portions that constituted a drag to its fluidity.

    “Let me restate that the fundamental plank of your submission was sublime; laced as it were with very unsettling revelations. But the language of politics is of a different vintage. Many a time, the best of intentions have been diminished by poor political communication.

    “My learned brother. I think it is uncharitable when you describe people who disagree with your position as “the ignoramuses,” “people who couldn’t think,” “these morons,” and “that person is really stupid.” To my mind, such unguarded outbursts tend to question not just your temperament for political leadership but the sense of humility upon which great inter-group exploits are founded. Incivility of such complexion could be the pastime of lesser endowed characters, but definitely not for a man of unimpeachable intellectual and moral habitudes like you.

    “I can tell you, sir, that the reactions of Dr. Uduaghan and Chief Akpeki to your statements, are about the mildest you would find in the terrain you are now going into. Criticisms in the political field fly around in the most vile and vicious manner. More painfully, they mostly turn out to be unjustified. Yet, the victim would have been maligned and his feelings seriously injured. That is the nature of our politics.

    “But Prof, sir. Having an eye on the apex of political leadership which, who knows, providence may bestow on you, it is expected that you try to absorb every such criticism in good faith, not minding how irritating and unfair the attacks may be. And, when you decide to respond, please marshal your points with such class and candor as you are widely renowned, bearing in mind that your fiercest critic today could be your greatest supporter tomorrow. In our political climate the wrong choice of words could be irretrievably damaging.

    “Therefore, sir, I wish you could endeavor at all times, to rein in the tendency for retaliatory language in responding to public criticisms, or the use of such rustic words as could diminish your standing before the people. Toleration and fortitude, my dear Prof, are indispensable tools of political leadership.

    “If your natural disposition is not compatible with the rudiments of partisan politics, I’d rather you focus on your noble vocation of raising a worthy generation of leaders, than smear your magnificent garment in the murky waters of Nigerian politics.

    “The foregoing, sir, is just my humble advice in the circumstance. May God engrace you all in the continuing strive to improve our society.

  • Pat Utomi fit for councillorship position, not Delta Governor – Uduaghan

    Former Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has advised Prof. Pat Utomi, to first contest as a councillor in his ward, before aspiring to be Governor of the State.

    Uduaghan who spoke Friday in Asaba, at a stakeholders meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), advised those who were aspiring for political offices not to be blinded by their political ambitions as to resort to peddling falsehood against government but rather should concentrate on facts and issues.

    He debunked the wild allegations of financial mismanagement against the State government by Prof. Utomi, and urged him not sacrifice the truth on the altar of political expediencies.

    According to him, “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.”

    The former governor urged the Lagos-based Economist to consider actualizing his political ambition by contesting for Councillorship position so as to get basic facts on issues affecting governance in the State.

    He noted that with his experience with Prof. Utomi, he had distinguished himself as someone with great ideas but, did not have the frame of mind for execution.

    Uduaghan disclosed that as then Governor of Delta State, his administration made Prof. Utomi chairman and member of several committees as opportunities for him to contribute to the development of the State but said “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 organize a business forum outside the country with Nigerians in 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 taunted Utomi.

    He said it was not good to condemn what the incumbent governor was doing because of personal ambition, adding; “Governor Okowa has done excellently well and we should join hands with him to develop the State.”

    The former governor, who advised members of the PDP to remain united, urged those in elective or appointive positions to empower Deltans through the spread of democratic dividends.

    In his speech, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, urged members of the PDP to open their doors to any Nigerian wishing to join the party, including members of the All Progressive Congress (APC), while the Chairman of the party in the State, Barr. Kingsley Esiso, said the meeting was necessary for members to be abreast with happenings in the party.

  • Stop using my name to create mischief, Uduaghan warns

    Stop using my name to create mischief, Uduaghan warns

    Immediate Past Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has warned mischief makers and those seeking cheap popularity to stop using his name as a vehicle to achieve their evil plots.

    Dr. Uduaghan gave the warning Monday morning in a statement issued by Mr. Sunny Areh, his media aide, in reaction to two contradictory press releases purportedly authorised by the former Governor in the last two days and which have been trending on the social media.

    The first release, signed by one Tony Oritseje, claiming to be Uduaghan’s Press Secretary, said that the former Governor had dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), a statement which is false in its entirety.

    A second release, credited to an unnamed media aide sought to repudiate the first statement, pouring invectives on the APC and its leadership, claiming that it was authored by the ex-Governor.

    But, Dr Uduaghan, disassociated himself from both releases, which he said were targeted at creating mischief and gain negative publicity, thereby smearing his name and reputation in the process.

    “This is obviously the work of mischief makers and those seeking cheap publicity. It is a joke taken too far. None of my aides is named Tony Oritseje. It was obviously meant to create disaffection for me and my successor, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the PDP and the Federal Government,” he stated.

    The former Governor noted that he had maintained a very low profile since leaving office as a deliberate policy to allow current actors have enough space to attain their goals and fulfil electoral promises.

    “People close to me know this is not my style. I have deliberately maintained a low profile to allow those in power today to have enough space to fulfil electoral promises to the people. It is not my style to seek cheap publicity or disrupt a peaceful process that is delivering democracy dividends to the people,” he added.

    Uduaghan therefore warned against the use of his name to cause disaffection between him and the authorities, pointing out that he would not hesitate to go to seek redress in the law court should they persist.

  • [Video]: Uduaghan, traditional leaders attend Ibori’s thanksgiving

    [Video]: Uduaghan, traditional leaders attend Ibori’s thanksgiving

    Faces at the thanksgiving ceremony for former Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, who recently returned to Nigeria after serving a jail term in London for fraud.The even took place at the First Baptist Church, Oghara, Delta State.