Olorogun Wilson Okpubigho

Excerpts

Are you contesting for any Position?.
The idea of contesting is moved by my people because they have seen my strength in term of politicking and administration and indeed to help the poor which has always been my cardinal point. I run my own business enterprises. But what I have done to my people back home without being in government is enormous. I think that is why the urge on me to contest for Elective position is high.
Can you explain some of the things you said you have done for your people back home?
As a businessman and in course of working, I have employed and empowered many of our youths. In short, I do not want to mention names. I am somebody if I know I want to get something from you no matter what it will cost me, I will get from you. If it warrant me going down below to get it I will do it. My principle in life is ‘the end justifies the means’. I intend to apply that principle if eventually my people ask me to represent them in Government in any capacity.
The party you belong to is All Progress Congress (APC) and it is known fully well that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party in Delta State is fully on ground. What are your chances of winning the ticket sir?
I don’t understand what you mean by the ruling party is fully on ground. People keep saying that Delta state is a PDP state. To me it is a PDP state by fraud in the sense that they have never won a free and fair election before. They got into office since 1999 by gang starism, gun running and other illegal means. In other words, Delta State is not a PDP state. APC is fully on ground in the state. Hence forth, I want people to believe that APC is on ground in Delta State. What I expect you to ask is what is our plan to defeat the ruling party?
Okay. What is your plan to defeat the ruling party?
Right now I cannot disclose that to you because it is a hidden strategy. But I can tell you that the Spirit of Change is very high. The people’s eyes are opened. The days of hand picking one thug from the village to go and represent the community, the day of hand picking sycophant to go and replace you in the office is all over. Everybody is working hard to ensure PDP did not occupy the government house in Asaba come 2019.
People are of the view that the Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has been performing since he assumed office. They even claimed PDP has been doing well for the past nineteen years. What is your assessment of the party in the state?
Well for those who say Okowa has been performing I do not belong to that category. Performance to me should not be a hidden thing. It should be an open affair that the entire people of the state will see what you have done. Performance is not about constructing ‘garri’ roads even before you leave office they are gone. I have not seen anything that will make me to praise Okowa and his predecessors.
In Delta State, APC, the party you belonged to has been hit with a lot of internal crisis that has led to division. How do you think your party can win an election with such divided house?
It is the normal thing. Where progressives operate, there could be disagreement left and right. But when it comes to election they will come together.
Are you saying with the present division your party still has the hope of capturing the state?
For sure. We have hundred percent hope of taking over Delta state.
Few days ago PDP and other 30 political parties formed a merger in view of defeating your party at the national level. What is your assessment of the implication of such alliance?
That merger is only on newspapers. It is not real. Even if it is real, that will not give PDP the chance. That name PDP is an aberration. Even if they change the name, the characters cannot be change. We know them. They came into the APC. Some them smuggled themselves into National Assembly and they are still crying of marginalization. On what basis are you crying of marginalization. You smuggled yourself into the National Assembly, conducted a much room election to become Senate President, Speaker of the House and you still claim marginalization. How do you measure marginalization? These are issues people ought to look at. Is it because they are prosecuting you? You could be prosecuted if there are facts that you aired in course of being in public office. If you say you are being prosecuted for your acts in the past and as such you cannot allow the government to run smoothly. No sane government will allow such people to remain perpetually in government. So if they say they are going, they are free to go. But I can assure you that some of them who tell you that they are going are not ready to go.
Don’t you think that their living APC will have an impact on the party in 2019 election?
No impact. When the devils are out the home becomes peaceful.
What will you say is the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari since he assumed office?
There are tremendous achievements. Let me start with the South East. Sixteen years of PDP administration left the entire South East without infrastructural development. Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway was not motor able before Buhari came into office. There are other highways under the federal list which were totally neglected. The people were suffering while PDP remains in power. The last administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan was a failure in term of infrastructural development. He is from the South-South and South-East by marriage. He allowed such infrastructural decay throughout his stay in office. To crown it all we have been clamoring for second Niger bridge which is not going to serve only the interest of the Easterners, it will serve the interest of the entire nation because the stress people pass through on the Niger bridge during festivities is unbecoming that at times people sleep on the road. Is it suppose to be so? Of course no, but since Buhari came into office with all the problems coming from the National Assembly not allowing the government to move, he was able to start the construction of the second Niger bridge and fixed a lot of federal roads in the South East. That alone, I believe the South-East will deliver Buhari hundred percent. Then in terms of the economy, it is on the path of growth. Ask me why?
Why?
The people are crying today of things being tough. I agree with them. It affects me as well. I do not believe in a class of people who live a life that is not real. I do not believe in people who live in false life. You know you don’t have this thing, but you pretend to have it and you continue to spend lavishly. We have to turn back to where we were coming from. The British government left this country on a very good note. But we use our own hands to destroy ourselves because of corrupt element. PMB said no, let’s go back to where we are coming from and build the economy gradually. In the course of building, some people are bound to suffer. The monumental fraud that was going on under Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has reduced. Because you know if you try it within a short while you will be caught. So people are very careful. I believe in that ideology of let us be real. Lets us do how people see us and not the opposite. If you travel out of this country, people look at you suspiciously. We went into recession when the past administration left because they were not telling us the real situation of things. PMB’s government was able to take us out of recession within one year. I still believe Buhari’s economic agenda is moving and it is growing. We just need to give ourselves sometime to bear the pains and give PMB the opportunity to return to office and correct some of these things.
On the issue of security, it is glaring that no man of President Buhari status that has ruled this country for so many years in the military cannot turn himself to herdsman that is killing people. There could be some bad elements in the government. But you know what the structure of Nigerian government is. He is trying his best to ensure this killings are stopped. When security Agencies are working they cannot tell you their strategy but it will just come to pass one day that you will not hear of Boko Harram or herdsmen killing again. Also It could be the handiwork of the opposition which I know that one day the people behind this killings will be apprehended and prosecuted.
There is this insinuation that Buhari’s war against corruption is one sided and that he is using it to witch-hunt the opposition. Could that be true sir?
I don’t believe that. People keep mentioning names. I don’t want to go into names. But I want to tell you that the structure of government is not the way you see it. Not until you have concrete evidences against a past public officer before you can prosecute him. There must be facts before you can be prosecuted. And the law is there to interpret your facts. I do not know who you want to mention that he suppose to be arrested and he was not arrested and I will ask you about the white paper against such person.
Do you support restructuring of the country or not?
No sane administrator will object to total restructuring. Therefore I support total restructuring. It is difficult to execute it right now because of the fear of unknown by some people.. But I know fully well that this government with the way things are going gradually will end up restructuring the country.
As an Urhobo indigene, did you see an Urhobo man emerging as Governor of Delta State in 2019?
When you asked if we can remove PDP from office in Delta State I said I do not want to reveal the strategy but I can assure that the game is up already. In a democracy majority carry the day. The Urhobo Nation has majority and all we need is a popular candidate. In order words, I believe hundred percent that an Urhobo candidate is taking over in 2019. Great Ovadje Ogboru to be precise is the next governor of Delta State. There is no magic about it. Okowa is going out. We are ready for them this time.
Sir, there is this believe that only Urhobo cannot garner the votes needed to win governorship seat because Urhobo is just one Senatorial district out of the three senatorial districts. So where does the magic lies?
The Delta Central fully occupied by Urhobos is related to Delta North in the Abraka axis. We live together and do things in common with Kwale indigenes in Delta North. It is also the same thing in Delta South. If you look at the candidate in making, Chief Great Ovadje Ogboru is related to the three senatorial zones and that makes him more qualified than anybody in the state. Maternally he is from Delta North, paternally he is from Delta Central and by marriage he is from Delta South. All he needs from the two other Senatorial zones is just collaboration and support.
Still on Urhobo nation. What is the panacea for unity in Urhobo nation?
The only thing to unite Urhobo is to grab political power. If Great Ogboru comes in tomorrow Urhobo will be united. Urhobo is divided today because of hunger. PDP came in with an obnoxious politic of rotation which has turned the state to a winner takes all. It is our turn and we should hold it. The moment any nation is involve in policy of rotation the nation is doom because there will be a lot of pressure from the community which is their turn and as such they will want to take everything. But it did not suppose to be so. You will see the difference when an APC government comes in. Development should spread across the state. That is why I keep telling you that with APC government, the people of Delta State should go and rest . It is enough of PDP and their misrule.
Finally sir, what message do you have for your people in your constituency?
They should all get their PVC so that we can vote out PDP. They should vote APC. It is a progressive party. It may be rough now, but at the end of the tunnel there will be light.