I Didn’t Defect Because Of EFCC, I’m The Most Investigated Former Governor – Uduaghan

Immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has dismissed insinuation making the round that he may have defected to the APC because of fear of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Uduaghan who spoke in a Channels TV HARD COPY program monitored by BigPen Online on Friday, said that everything concerning his administration in Delta state have been investigated over and over again by the anti graft agency since he left office.

He said that EFCC detectives have been to Delta state in many occasions combing for files and documents right from when he was Secretary to the state Government but have not pin anything against him.

According to him, he could not have defected over that since his administration has been an open book for everyone to scrutinize

“I’m the most investigated former governor for the past three years. The highest number of investigation….Everything I did in Delta state has been investigated by EFCC. So why should EFCC be the cause of my defection”, he queried.

Uduaghan said that before he left the PDP, he had some issues with the party both at the state and national level but declined to comment on them.

“I have issues with PDP at the state and at the National level but I don’t what to talk about them since I have left them. I have the right to keep the issues I have with PDP to myself”, he insisted.

Speaking on claims that the feud between him and Okowa started from 2014 when he fails to support the incumbent governor ambition to become governor after him, Uduaghan said that the theories on a “succession plan” was not true, saying that there was never a time they sat and agreed on who should be a governor or not.

He said that before the emergence of Chief James Ibori, (who is the political godfather of Delta politics) under the PDP, there was an Ibori political family which he belong to that was different from the PDP as a political party.

“There’s an Ibori family and there is a PDP family which I still belong to. We started the political party from the GDM but before then there was an Ibori political family”.

He insisted that his defection to APC has not affected his relationship with Ibori who is his cousin, saying he’s very much in touch with Ibori.

The former governor explained that he was actively involved in government before he became a governor.

Speaking on being on the same boat with Chief Great Ogboru, who had contested against him before in many occasions, Uduaghan said that, “it’s politics and in politics there are no permanent enemy but permanent interest”.

Asked to clarify his assertion that he was “John The Baptist”, the forerunner, Uduaghan affirmed that many people would move from PDP to the APC, saying that people will move to APC because APC favours Niger Delta development.

He said that there would be a mass mobilisation for the APC before 2019 in Delta state and the entire Niger Delta because they have agreed to move the region to the ruling party, APC.

Speaking on the experience he was bring in to state chapter of APC, Uduaghan, a Delta South Senatorial hopeful, said that as a former governor he knows the machanism of party politics and what button to press to oil the party political machinery to come alive.

“My role in APC will be to coordinate and unite the members. We’re looking to wrestle powers from the PDP in Delta state in 2019. We need to build the party from grassroots. He said that he would study the APC and advice on how to build the party.

According to him, 2019 would be an interesting political year since APC has waxed more stronger than it was in 2014, saying “It is going to be much more interesting in 2019. APC was not strong in 2014 but now it is stronger with likes of Omo-Agage, Ogboru and Emerhor in the party.

When asked to assess the administration of his successor, Okowa, the former governor retorted; “If you had asked me this question only two days ago, I would have given you an answer. But I am now in the APC. Old things have passed away and everything has become new. My focus is how APC can wrest power in 2019”, he enthused.

Written by Julius Eras-Olabowu