A Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and a former founding member of Action Congress in Delta State, Chief Godwin Okene, has called on the Delta state chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, for the immediate suspension of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh from the party.
Chief Okene hailed from Ethiope East local government area of Delta state and one time governorship aspirant of the Republican Party of Nigeria (RPN) and House of Assembly candidate of the Action Congress Party in 2007, called for the suspension position while speaking to newsmen in Warri over the inciting utterances by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh against Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, on the just concluded governorship election.
Excerpt:
Why the call for the suspension of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh?
lt is clear that the party can not harbour the likes of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh who we do not know how he got into the party in the first place and as a matter of fact, those who were driven from their parties found their way into APC through the back door. It is a known fact that Ojougboh’s attack on Omo-Agege calls for immediate suspension.
I am surprised for a party member to come out with such utterances concerning the Delta state APC governorship candidate at this time when the party is suppose to come together, somebody who called himself a party faithful is making such utterances.
His actions is not only suspicious but an impression that he is not working for the party, hence am calling for his suspension, because the issue cannot he taken likely by the state chapter of the party and even at the national.
It is abysmal for Ojougboh to remind us what happened at the national assembly at this time of election. It shows he is on a mission and as a party, we will not take it or tolerate such member. We know his antecedents and he should not make us wash our dirty linen in the public but when it comes to that, we will remind him.
We are saying this because if you dont tell a wizard the distruction he is causing in a community, he assumed he is part of those repairing or developing the community.
This party was a strong party and as a founding member of this party, I will not sit down and fold my hands. At this time, even if we want to talk about party differences, it should not be now because you can recall that in 2019, there was a fight at the Eagles Square during the APC convention because people were struggling for the party structure.
And even before then I knew that the party was not going to be settled in Delta state because the likes of O’tega Emerhor turned the face of our national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu against the party executievs of ACN which was headed at that time by late Chief Adolor Okotie-Eboh.
Where were people like Cairo Ojougboh? Those who called themselves stakeholders today? A man that was just driven from PDP yesterday is coming to APC to say he is a stakeholder.
We were building this party as people with integrity and vision. And when they turn the face of our leader. In the whole of Southsouth, all the executives of APC, only Delta was left alone because of this people.
lf that late Okotie-Eboh executives had remained, discipline would have been in the party and we won’t have people like Cairo Ojougboh coming into APC because we won’t have accepted him in the first place.
So for him to be talking about the candidate of the party at this time of election, means he is on a mission, and I will not watch Ojougboh condemn this party that we have build over the years, hence am calling on Ojougboh to retract what he has published in the newspapers.
What is your take on the governoship election?
Well, the elections has come and gone. And we saw what happened during the presidential election and people are challenging it here and there that it didn’t go well. And if people take on that to do what they did in the governorship election, we have the right to challenge the outcome; and that is what the governorship candidate is doing.
There was no way Ovie Omo-Agege would lose the election, considering the numbers of decampees the party had from PDP. So we all welcome Ovie Omo-Agege for his dogged fight against the ruling party, PDP.
We learnt Omo-Agege has gone to court, do you think he can reclaim his mandate?
Well, that is the prayer of every party man. So my prayer is that he is able to take back our mandate. If Atiku wins the Tribunal you won’t see Ojougboh in APC again. He will dive into PDP. We don’t know how they got into the APC if not APC in Delta state would have been like labour party.
There are claims by some sections that Omo-Agege lost because he hijacked the structure of the party from the Leaders?
No. That is not correct because to some extent, there were reconciliation. I was also an aggrieved person coming from the foundation of the party. I have never been recognized as a stakeholder despite being a founding member of Action Congress in Delta state.
The likes of Chief O’tega Emerhor, Chief Ovie Kokori and other leaders are still in the party, so who are the aggrieved leaders that has made Omo-Agege lost the election.
The only person is Chief Great Ogboru and l spoke to him severally on how we can come together but he took his stand, or is it Hon. Victor Ochei who is still a member of the party and an Executive Director in NIMASA. So the leaders are together
But Omo-Agege as the Deputy Senate President, the structure must be in his hands because he is at the top and we can not take that away from him. Amechi and Akpabio took their structures as ministers. So we must must respect Omo-Agege position. They all have ambition to be governor and need the structure to win their primaries.
So if I have the chance of getting the delegates, why should I give it to you? When I know that you are competing with me. So that is a struggle.
Observers in the March 18th says the governorship elections in Delta state was Free and Fair?
I can not subscribe to that ev even when the youths in the whole federation are shouting that the Presidential election was not fair and credible, the UK ambassador said Nigeria had the best election.
So people have their opinions. Nigeria is a place where you can get people to say what you want them to say. So my most concern is about the utterances of Cairo Ojougboh and I am calling on the state and the national body to suspend Cairo Ojougboh with immediate effect. He is not bigger than the party and the candidate.
You can not come to condenm the party a few days after election; and you still remain a member. It is an open confession that he worked against the party so I am calling of Sobotie and the party executives to effect the suspension immediately.
Are you of the view that Ojougboh, Ochei and Onochie what against APC in the governorship election?
You can tell me that someone who is federal appointee could not deliver her local government. Vitor Ochei who was former speaker of Delta state house of assembly could not win his local government.
We have other people apart from Cairo Ojougboh in Delta north. How come PDP swept the whole of Delta North, not even one local government came to APC or are you saying Hon. Victor Ochei cannot win his local government
So are you now saying that what happened to APC was a replication of what have been happening to Ogboru?
Well, this has been on. We actually thought that we will be able to hold on to a lot of things knowing fully well what has been happening to us . But they still did the same thing to us and If it has been happening to Ogboru before this will be the last for PDP in Delta state i can assure you, and I am confident Omo-Agege is equal to it to get his mandate.
Message to party members?
The leader of the party in the state who the governorship candidate has said to everybody to remain calm and see what will come out of the court at the end of the day. We can not say PDP has taken it because this time, we have a very short time for the judiciary to take up matters.
You should remain where we are and believe in your party and believe that one day, your party will make it. Sherif Oborevwori is my childhood friend, but he knows I belong to APC and I remain here. All the friends I have in Delta state are in PDP but this is my party.
