‘How I Tactically Saved Okowa In Last PDP Primaries’ – Ochei

Snippet from a recent interview by former Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Victor Ochei shows that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa could have been defeated in the 2015 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries if not for the “political chess game” played by Ochei.

Ochei, who gave a graphic details of how he ‘tactically’ saved Okowa from loosing the primaries, said that if he had withdrew from the race as pressure was heavily amounted on him to so do then, David Edevbie, now Commissioner for Finance under Okowa’s administration would have clinched the ticket.

The former Speaker who spoke to Anioma Voice newspaper in an exclusive interview, said that the pendulum was swinging toward Edevbie but his decision not to step down at the last hours of the race saved Okowa unknowing to him.

According to him, a day before the primaries, a caucus of Anioma people had pleaded with him to step down for Okowa like some other aspirants had done but he stood firm, calculating that if he withdraw from the race at that point in time, Anioma would lost out ostensibly because Edevbie was already positioned to sweep all the votes from the Delta Central Senatorial District.

He said that he divided the Urhobo’s votes that could have gone to Edevbie with that decision and gave Okowa an edge to clinch the ticket because of their collective desire to drive the Anioma agenda which was to ensured that Delta North must also take its turn in the governorship of the state.

Ochei however said that it was not true that Okowa had asked him to contest the Delta North Senatorial seat and leave the governorship for him, insisting that the report that he failed to take the senate seat offered him was to malign his person.

“Okowa never asked me to run for senate. That was a lie from the pit of hell. You can ask him. I also asked him that before Pastor Chris Eromudor and he said he never asked me to run for the senate. That was to malign my person.

“The only time they called me for a meeting at Peter Nwoboshi’s house was a day prior to the gubernatorial primaries and at that time, he invited me, Obielum, and some others. Obielum refused to go but I went.

“At that meeting, their idea was to collapse everything for Okowa, and I told them it was too late for us to do that cause Anioma may loose out. If I had not stayed in that race there would have been a problem for Anioma. I thank God I went to the field and it was a sacrifice I made for Anioma.

“I got my bloc votes from the Urhobos and if I had not contested like others who collapsed their structure for Okowa, the bloc votes I got would have gone to Edevbie and you know what that would have meant”.

The Speaker emeritus also spoke about some other sundry issues including the Asaba Street Lighting contract and the controversial Independent Power Plant (IPP) project, maintaining that the stories being peddled about the contracts were all false.

On the contract to supply diesel for powering the street lights in Asaba, Ochei dismissed allegations that the wife of the immediate past Governor, Mrs Roli Uduaghan was given part of the contract to supply diesel to the plants, insisting that the company, Davnotch in which he had interest then, handled the entire contractual deal which the state is still owing.

“Supplying of diesel can’t be a contract standing on its own. Davnotch company was awarded a contract to install and maintain street lights in Asaba and metropolise and that includes the diesel cause the generators are been powered by diesel.

“My company was given the contract and buying of diesel was part of the contract. There was never a time Mrs. Uduaghan supplied diesel. There was no time she approached me or Davnotch to be supplying diesel. I challenged anybody to come out with facts about that.

“I left office office in March and the lights went off in December so that the people can enjoy it during Christmas. We discovered that we can’t keep buying diesel when the government is owing us for 7 month. Even till date they have not paid.

“Whoever has any prove that Mrs. Uduaghan was supplying diesel for powering the street lights should come up with it. Supplying of diesel was part of the contract given to Davnotch”, he insisted.

Speaking on the controversial IPP project which is often used as his fault line, Ochei resorted, “People were politicizing it. They don’t understand the difference between a contract and a matter you need to politicize. Contracts are drawn straight up. It was awarded to a company and government was only a client.

“I was a member then of the company when the contract was awarded. The contract was ongoing and because of the volume of the contract people started writing all manner of rubbish all because it was Victor Ochei. Why would Victor Ochei handle such amount of money.

“Recently, the administration of Okowa said they want to sell the IPP.  Can you sell something that does not exist? They don’t even know the terms of the contract.

“I know that at the appropriate time the company will come out with a full dossier. You want to sell a contract without informing the contractor handling it. Come to arbitration let’s settle it. Delta state government refused to come for arbitration and we took them to court for them to come for arbitration”.

Written by Joe Ogbodu

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