FG Reduces Charges against Orubebe

Following its inability to substantiate a four-count charge of infraction of the Code of Conduct for Public Servants, the federal government yesterday withdrew the earlier charge filed against a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Peter Orubebe, and replaced it with a one-count charge.

Orubebe

The federal government had in October last year preferred a four-count charge, bordering on false assets declaration and demanding and collection of bribe of about N 70 million against the former minister.

At previous hearings, the tribunal called on the state to call its witnesses but was unable to produce one and instead applied that the hearing be adjourned.

But at the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to the federal government and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed Diri, in an oral application, withdrew the charges earlier filed against Orubebe and replaced them with an amended one-count charge.

He told the court that the application to amend the charge against the former minister was brought pursuant to section 216 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Orubebe’s counsel, Selekeowei Larry (SAN), did not object to the amendment of the charge, while the tribunal chairman, Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, consequently struck out the charge filed on October 8, 2015, and replaced it with the one filed yesterday.

The amended one-count charge against Orubebe read: “That you, Godsday Peter Orubebe on or about June 29. 2015, while being a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in charge of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this tribunal, did make a false declaration of assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) when you failed to declare Plot 2057, Asokoro District, Abuja on assumption of office on September 26, 2007, and on leaving office (at the end of your tenure on  June 29, 2011) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap C15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 23 ( 2) of the same Act.”

Orubebe pleaded not guilty to the single count charge when it was read to him and the prosecution counsel asked the court for a date to commence trial, adding also that the prosecution intended to call three witnesses to prove the allegation against the former minister.

The federal government  had arraigned the former minister for an alleged N70 million bribe and false declaration of assets to which he pleaded not guilty to.

He was also alleged to have while in office asked for and accepted a bribe of N50 million from one Pastor Jonathan Alota, for the contract awarded in favour of his company.

In the fourth count, Orubebe was alleged to have while being the minister in  2013 asked for and accepted N20 million from one Pastor Alota as additional bribe for the contract awarded in favour of his company for the construction of skill acquisition Centre at Edo State for ₦1,799,914,251.88 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 10 of CCB & T Act as incorporated under paragraph 18 of part 1 fifth schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

FG Reduces Charges against Orubebe

FG stalls Orubebe’s trial, CCT adjourns till Jan. 27

The Federal Government again on Thursday stalled the commencement of the trial of a former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, with a proposal to amend the four counts of N70m bribery and false asset declaration preferred against him.

Orubebe

Earlier on November 9, the prosecution had asked for two weeks to prepare its witnesses when asked to commence the trial shortly after the accused pleaded not guilty to the four counts.

The Danladi Umar-led tribunal had then adjourned till Thursday for the commencement of trial.

On Thursday, however, the prosecution, led by Mr. Peter Danladi, rather than call its first witness, proposed to orally amend counts two, three and four, an application which the defence lawyer, Mr. Selekowei Larry (SAN), opposed.

Danladi, while applying for the amendment of the charges, cited section 216 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which he said allowed the prosecution to amend or alter the charges it filed at any time before judgment was delivered.

He said, “The matter was adjourned till today for hearing. But before we proceed, we are applying to amend counts two, three and four.

“The application is brought pursuant to section 216 of the ACJ Act and pursuant to the inherent jurisdiction of this honourable tribunal.”

The prosecuting counsel was about to give details of his proposed amendment when Larry raised an objection.

In opposing the application, Larry said it could only be done through motion on notice and not orally.

He said, “This is a serious business. You can’t just jump up and say you want to amend the charges. You have to notify us about what you want to do. You have to do it through a motion on notice. You cannot come and take us by surprise. We have to know what you are doing.

“This is a court of record. Whatever they (prosecution) want to do, let them do it properly by way of a motion on notice.”

In response, Danladi said the use of the word, “any time” in section 216 of the ACJ Act showed that an application for amendment of charges by prosecution could be done orally.

While the tribunal chairman agreed that the prosecution had the right to amend the charges as it wished, it needed to put the defence on notice.

Danladi then asked for two weeks to file the necessary processes for the amendment.

Umar noted that since the year was already winding up, the tribunal would only be able to entertain the case in January.

The matter was then adjourned till January 27, 2016.

Orubebe, in counts one and two of the charges preferred against him, was accused of failure to declare his assets at Plot 2722, Kyamu and Plot 2059 in Asokoro District both in Abuja on assumption of office as a minister on September 26, 2007.

In count three, he was accused of accepting a N50m bribe from one Pastor Jonathan Alota on September 19, 2012 for the award of a contract in favour of his (Alota’s) company, Chemtronics Nigeria Limited.

In count four, he allegedly accepted additional N20m bribe from Alota in 2013 for the award of a contract to Chemtronics Nigeria Limited for the construction of a N1.8bn skill acquisition centre in Edo State.

Orubebe is said to have committed the offence of false asset declaration under section 15 of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap C15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The arraignment of the former minister took place on November 9 amid a solidarity jamboree by a large number of his supporters, who were restricted to the gate of the tribunal in Jabi, Abuja.

The supporters, with a band that played outside the gate throughout the period the proceedings lasted, gave Orubebe a heroic welcome as he arrived for the proceedings.

FG stalls Orubebe’s trial, CCT adjourns till Jan. 27

Asset Declaration: Orubebe pleads not gulty to charges

Niger Delta minister under former president Goodluck Jonathan, Godsday Orubebe, is accused of failing to declare two properties he owned at the time he took office in June 2011.

Orubebe

He was also alleged to have received bribes amounting to 70 million naira ($350,000/ 328,000 euros), the Code of Conduct Tribunal in the capital,Abuja, heard.

Orubebe pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned until November 26.

The 56-year-old caused a stir during collation of ballots after the March 28 vote, which saw Jonathan and his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dumped from office byMuhammadu Buhari.

Orubebe accused Nigeria‘s then election head Attahiru Jega of being partial and selective in his handling of petitions filed by the PDP against some of the results.

He shouted and attempted a sit-in in a 15-minute stand-off captured live on television at the venue where results were being announced. Orubebe later apologised for his outburst.

Buhari and his All Progressive Congress (APC) won the vote, securing the first-ever win by an opposition party inNigeria‘s independent history.

The president has since embarked on a drive against endemic corruption that has seen a number of government ministers and senior politicians questioned about or charged with graft offences.

They include the third most-senior political figure in the country, Senate leader Bukola Saraki.

The Niger Delta is home to Nigeria‘s oil industry. The minister is in charge of development projects in the region, where most people live in poverty despite the multi-billion dollar industry.

Meanwhile, former national security advisory Sambo Dasuki on Monday called on a high court judge to order secret police to leave his house inAbuja.

Dasuki, who is facing firearms and monely laundering charges, was last week allowed to retrieve his passport to go oversees for medical treatment.

But he failed to leave after members of the Department of State Services turned up at his house and allegedly prevented him from travelling. He claims his life is under threat.

The DSS denied the claim and said its agents’ presence was linked to Dasuki’s non-appearance before a committee probing a multi-billion-dollar arms deal during his time in office.

Asset Declaration: Orubebe pleads not gulty to charges

FG arraign Orubebe on false asset declaration, N70m bribery

The Federal Government, through the Code of Conduct Bureau, will arraign a former Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, on four counts of false assets declaration and bribery on November 9.

Orubebe, who is to be arraigned before the Justice Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal, was accused of failure to declare his assets at Plot 2722 Kyamu and Plot 2059 in Asokoro District both in Abuja on assumption of office as minister on September 26, 2007.

In count three, he was also accused of accepting N50m bribe from one Pastor Jonathan Alota, on September 19, 2012, for award of contract in favour of his (Alota’s) company, Chemtronics Nigeria Limited.

In count four, he allegedly accepted additional N20m bribe from Alota in 2013 for the award of a contract to Chemtronics Nigeria Limited for the construction of skill acquisition centre at Edo State for the sum of N1.8bn.

FG arraign Orubebe on false asset declaration, N70m bribery

You are a garage boy, I"ll expose your dubious deeds - Orubebe attacks Oshiomhole again

By Chris Ochayi

ABUJA—The verbal war  between the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Wednesday, worsened with the ex-minister calling Oshiomhole a ‘garage boy,’ vowing to expose his dubious deeds against Nigerians.

Orubebe

Orubebe, who reacted to Oshiomhole’s response to his (Orubebe’s) earlier remarks on him, said that Oshiomhole’s attempt to link his critical advice to President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of popular ‘Villa sycophants’ to his fears of a possible probe in connection with the East- West Road project shows he was indeed a garage boy who lacks focus.

Orubebe who described the governor’s insinuation as laughable, maintained that the Edo governor had failed to address the issue of sycophancy which he accused him of.

He said that Oshiomhole was suffering from chronic diarrhoea of the mouth, which explains why he has lately been misleading Nigerians, adding that his illiteracy was beyond human comprehension.

He argued that his integrity and high level of accountability all through his six years service to the nation as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs can neither be matched nor compromised.

“I am proud to have been a vital instrument used by God to take the once abandoned East- West Road project to an admirable 80 per cent level of completion. It is unfortunate that our respected Niger Delta could produce the likes of Oshiomhole who is a garage boy that should be at the motor park.”

Threatening to expose Oshiomhole more, Orubebe, said “I will disgrace him publicly and tell the world about his dubious deeds as governor as well as his role in the botched Third Term Bid of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I am going to open his can of worms to the point that Nigerians will stone him if seen on the streets. I don’t talk carelessly as I have my facts to prove my points.”

oshiomhole

On the alleged embezzlement of several billions of naira under his watch as Minister of Niger Delta, he said: “I am not afraid of probe, I’m a man of integrity under whose watch the abandoned 42 bridges and 1040 culverts that were initially without design were upgraded to the level it is today.”

“Every reasonable Niger Deltan and Nigerians at large knows that I am the admired face of the East West Road, I can stand tall, anywhere and anytime to defend my administration as well as account for every dime that was allocated for the several projects we embarked upon.

“My Co- ministers and every other person who was a member of the Federal Executive Council under former President Jonathan’s watch can attest to the fact that I was a vessel par excellence, who had result oriented contributed to make towards moving the nation forward,” he said.

On the statement by Oshiomhole that he should be cooling off in jail following his actions at the 2015 presidential election collation Centre, Elder Orubebe, said “If he is reasonable, he will not refer to my action at the election result collation centre.

“This is because, history will talk about it and Nigerians will be proud of me. Yes, I had to apologise to Nigerians, particularly the youths over my I term ‘wrong approach to a just course’. Yes, I had a just case that was deliberately ignored, as one who felt cheated, and so reacted.

“I’m laughing at him because, if there’s anyone who should burry his face in shame, it has to be Oshiomhole who disgraced, harassed and rough handled a poor widow who he should have ordinarily accommodated.

“My people are very proud of me, I mean the aged, the poor and orphans. I don’t disgrace them before putting smiles on their faces. I maintain the fact that Oshiomhole is a popular villa sycophant, a garage boy and that PMB should be weary of him, if he must succeed and be really admired.”

 

You are a garage boy, I"ll expose your dubious deeds - Orubebe attacks Oshiomhole again

Orubebe afraid of Buhari"s probe - Oshiomhole fires back

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says former Minister of the Niger Delta, Mr Godsday Orubebe is afraid of President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned probe of several billions of naira squandered on the East-West road and on the Amnesty programme under his watch as Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, adding that this is the basis for his latest outburst in the media.

Oshiomhole

The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria said the incompetence of people like Orubebe contributed to the dismal failure of the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to the latest outburst of one clown called Godsday Orubebe in his attempt to taint the image of the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says former Minister of the Niger Delta, Mr Godsday Orubebe is afraid of President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned probe of several billions of naira squandered on the East-West road and on the Amnesty programme under his watch as Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, adding that this is the basis for his latest outburst in the media.

The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria said the incompetence of people like Orubebe contributed to the dismal failure of the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to the latest outburst of one clown called Godsday Orubebe in his attempt to taint the image of the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

“It is no surprise that the former president, Goodluck Jonathan failed woefully because he surrounded himself with such charlatans as Godsday Orubebe, whose only credential is his ethnic origin and the large size of his bowler hat.

Orubebe

“Here was a man whose un-ministerial conduct at the election nearly plunged the nation into an avoidable crisis

“Does Orubebe really think Nigerians are fools, does he truly believe Nigerians have forgotten so soon the ignoble role he played in his attempt to truncate the release of the election results and announcement of the eventual winner of that election, a move which could have plunged the nation into another civil war?

“Is it not a shame that Orubebe who should be cooling off his heel in jail for that failed plot to truncate democracy has now found a convoluted voice?

“We are not surprised at the timing of Orubebe’s latest outburst. It is no doubt unconnected with the planned probe by President Muhammadu Buhari of the billions of naira allocated to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, even as the East-West road remains in bad shape and the probe of the fleecing of amnesty funds under his watch.

“We are aware that Orubebe, the perpetual noise maker has raised the decibel of his noise a notch higher so that he would have a ready-made defence of witch-hunting if he is indicted in the planned probe of Amnesty funds.

“Orubebe is a yesterday’s man. We could have chosen to ignore him like his Delta brother, Mr. Sunny Onuesoke, an unknown entity who doesn’t know the arithmetics of financing, but decided to delve into a matter of a World Bank loan, something completely beyond his mental and intellectual capacity, but we simply can’t let Orubebe have the last say.

“We are not unaware that it has now become the fad for drowning and neophyte politicians to take cheap shots at the impeccable character of the Comrade Governor just to gain cheap publicity. However, Orubebe’s image, as he himself knows, is beyond redemption.

“Is it not laughable that Orubebe, the clown, accused Oshiomhole of biting the fingers that fed him? Pray, how did Jonathan feed Oshiomhole? Did he feed Oshiomhole by supervising over a government that fleeced the nation of trillions of naira, thereby denying Edo State her rightful share of funds for development? Or did he feed Oshiomhole by canvassing votes for him!

“Our candid advice is for Orubebe, a perpetual failed Governorship aspirant, to go to his family and apologise for the irreparable damage done to the family name with his infamous outburst beamed live to the whole world, before coming forward to confront Governor Adams Oshiomhole who is not in any way in the same class as him.

“It is no wonder that Nigeria was at a state of near collapse until President Muhammdu Buhari came on a rescue mission and rendered people like Orubebe irrelevant.

“Never again will characters like Orubebe take us on the path of Golgotha; never again will they hold sway in the affairs of Nigeria and ruin the collective aspiration of the people.”

 

Orubebe afraid of Buhari"s probe - Oshiomhole fires back

Oshiomhole a Villa sycophant - Orubebe

By Chris Ochayi

ABUJA – The Ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe, Tuesday, took a swipe at the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole over his recent criticisms of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, describing him as a villa sycophant who is willing to switch allegiance to whoever is in power.

Orubebe

Orubebe who lambasted Comrade Oshiomhole, while speaking with selected journalists in Abuja, further berated the governor for speaking against former president, Dr. Jonathan who he said was a great leader.

He said “Oshiomhole is an ingrate and a popular villa sycophant who is quick to switch allegiance to whomever is in power.”

Descending heavily on Comrade Oshiomhole for what he described as “disrespecting the former President, Orubebe advised incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari to watch out for the likes of the Edo state governor, who according to him, will choke Buhari with acclamations in a bid to have inroad and access to dip their hands into the nation’s cake.

Orubebe, who also accused Oshiomhole of being problem and major sycophant under the immediate past administration as the Chief Adviser on Economic and Labour matters and particularly on subsidy removal to Jonathan, regretted that ‘Human memory is short, emphasising that ‘it’s unfortunate that Oshiomhole who should talk like a governor is today, biting the fingers (Jonathan) that fed him and seems to have forgotten in a hurry that he once cried around the former president for assistance and recognition.

Details later.

 

Oshiomhole a Villa sycophant - Orubebe

Orubebe denies defecting to APC, threatens legal action

A former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, has denied media reports that he was leaving the Peoples Democratic Party to join “his folks” in the All Progressives Congress.

Orubebe said in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday that he was “a proud and committed member” of the PDP, who is with the President in his bid to reorganise the party.

He said those behind the fictitious report hacked into his twitter account.

The former Minister also threatened to drag online media houses, who published the story of his alleged defection to the APC without contacting him, before the court.

He said, “It is not true that I am leaving the PDP for APC; it is not true and it cannot be true. I am taking online media, who have published the story to court.

“I am a core PDP member. I am with my oga(Goodluck Jonathan) and we are planning to reorganise the PDP to make it a party of unification.”

Orubebe denies defecting to APC, threatens legal action

Revealed: Plot to abduct Jega during presidential poll

Fresh facts have emerged on the March 31 attempt by a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, to scuttle the announcement of the March 28 presidential election results.

The main part of Orubebe’s action, according to Reuters on Thursday, was a plot to use hired thugs     to kidnap the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and consequently stall the electoral process.

The news agency quoted unnamed pro-democracy advocates and a Nigeria-based diplomat as saying that one of Jega’s aides unearthed the plot.

It said that the aide had sent a text message to an independent voting monitor, “warning of an imminent threat to the electoral process.”

Reuters said it pieced the information together from the text message, events on the ground during the announcement of the results and interviews with pro-democracy advocates and diplomats in   Abuja.

It added that when the independent voting monitor sent the SMS, he hoped the outside world would hear of the plot and the text of the message .

“Fellow countrymen, Nigeria on Trial,” read the SMS sent on the morning of March 31 to the head of the Situation Room, an Abuja-based coalition of human rights groups and pro-democracy advocates monitoring the elections.

“Plans are on storm [sic] the podium at the ICC Collation Centre and disrupt the process. Nobody is sue [sic] what will happen. Please share this as widely as possible,” the text read further.

At that moment,   Jega was about to preside over the announcement of the results.

As tallies from around the country showed that the All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, was leading, “unidentified PDP(Peoples Democratic Party) hard-liners started to panic, seeking ways of manipulating the count,” the boss of the Situation Room and the diplomat said, citing political contacts in the Niger Delta and Abuja.

Realising they could not engineer an outright win,   the PDP agents set about doctoring the tally at collation centres in pro- (Goodluck) Jonathan areas to ensure Buhari failed to meet a requirement for 25 per cent support in two-thirds of the states, the head of the Situation Room said, citing reports from election monitors on the ground.

Reuters said its reporter witnessed and photographed one tally list in Port Harcourt, Rivers State with suspiciously similar totals for registered voters at polling stations: 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 450.

In another tally centre in the city, 17,594 valid votes were recorded out of a registered voter population of 11,757, the Reuters reporter said.

Foreign election observers also noted the peculiarities – and contacted diplomats in Abuja who called in international intervention.

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, who were in Switzerland for talks on Iran – issued a tough statement saying vote counting “may be subject to deliberate political interference.”

But   as Buhari’s lead grew, some PDP supporters from the Niger Delta, including Orubebe, decided on a final gamble: to create a disturbance in the main INEC hall and have “thugs snatch Jega from the stage, Reutersquoted the Head of the Situation Room and the Abuja-based diplomat.

What the group planned to do after the abduction was unclear, they   said.

“It was a desperate thing, mostly by a group of people from the Niger Delta who were in the room,” the Situation Room head said, describing events that unfolded publicly in the minutes after he received the SMS.

When Jega opened proceedings on the morning of March 31, Orubebe had grabbed a microphone and launched into an 11-minute tirade accusing Jega of bias.

“Mr. chairman, we have lost confidence in you,” he shouted, pushing away officials trying to make him surrender the microphone. “You are being very, very selective. You are partial,” he continued, surrounded by three or four supporters. “You are tribalistic. We cannot take it.”

At this point, according to the Head of the Situation Room and the diplomat, Jega’s security details were approached by unidentified individuals telling them to stand down but they declined.

“Some of the guards who had been guarding Jega for years demanded a written order,” the Head of the Situation Room said.

Jega later rebuked Orubebe, saying, “Let us not disrupt a process that has ended peacefully,” he said as Orubebe slumped in his chair.

“Mr. Orubebe, you are a former minister of the Federal Republic. You are a statesman in your own right. You should be careful about what you say or about what allegations you make,” he said.

Orubebe later congratulated Buhari on Twitter, expressing his “apologies to fellow Nigerians.”

Orubebe did not respond to requests by the news agency for comment on the details of the plot.

INEC, said the news agency,   also declined to comment and turned down requests for an interview with Jega,

Reuters however said it found no evidence to suggest that Jonathan, who accepted defeat in the election, was involved in the plot.

The Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of the commission,   Kayode Idowu, told our correspondent that he was not aware of the alleged plot to kidnap Jega.

Idowu said, “I think somebody is imagining here. The chairman was not aware of any such plan, he didn’t conduct any investigation to know that. He was not under such threat during or after the announcement.’

Revealed: Plot to abduct Jega during presidential poll

Why Orubebe disrupted proceedings at INEC collation centre

*Says it loses confidence in Jega

By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA-THE Peoples Democratic Party,PDP,has protested the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC,to investigate the petition of the opposition All Progressives Congress,APC,against last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers State.

The party particularly accused the commission’s chairman,Prof. Attahiru Jega of not only being bias but also partial and tribalistic.

Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs,Elder Godsday Orubebe and Col.Bello Fadile,who represented the party at the Presidential Election Results Collation Centre,at the International Conference Centre,ICC,Abuja, accused the INEC boss of secretly working for the APC.

Elder Orubebe,who led the protest,wondered why the INEC chairman constituted an investigative panel and sent same to Rivers State to look into the petition from the APC,while it failed to act in like manner on its petition against elections in seven states of the North.

The PDP representatives,whose open protest temporarily halted proceedings at the collation centre,said the party had lost confidence in both Jega and his INEC,and demanded expeditious treatment of its petition against the elections in some states of the North.

Some of the states, according to the party,are Jigawa,Kano,Katsina,Gombe,Bauchi.

Details soon.

 

Why Orubebe disrupted proceedings at INEC collation centre

Obasanjo intended East-West Road to fail – Orubebe

The immediate-past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, said on Thursday that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had no intention to actualise the East-West Road project.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Orubebe stated this in Asaba, Delta State, at a rally where he declared his intention to contest the governorship of the state.

The former minister has been severally criticised of failing to complete the East –West Road, considered to be the most vital infrastructure in the Niger Delta, during his tenure as minister.

He said the road had no drawings or design when Obasanjo awarded the contract for its construction.

“It was a road that was meant not to see the light of the day. It was a road that had no hope,” he said.

He said that it was not until he became the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs under the government of President Goodluck Jonathan that the design of the project was done.

The ex-minister said, “This was what we did. The President told me to go ahead. I went to African Development Bank to take a loan. And when SURE-P came, I took some money from SURE-P. I sat down with the contractors and we started building.

“Today, over 20 percent of East-West Road has been completed. And there is nothing that will stop East-West Road from being completed in the next few months.”

Orubebe added that he already had the action plans with which he hoped to develop Delta State and would “hit the road working” as soon as he becomes governor.

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Obasanjo intended East-West Road to fail – Orubebe