EDWIN CLARK VINDICATED BY COURT VERDICT — ORUMA
The name Paul Oruma may not ring a bell, in people's minds, but this Warri-based politician is nobody's fool. It is his younger brother, Wilson Oruma, the ex-Super Eagles playmaker, that is a household name. Nevertheless Paul has come out smoking in the turf of politics and promises to be another darling of the masses, whom Gab Ejuwa ran into recently and interviewed.
Excerpts:
Can we meet you sir?
My name is Honourable Paul Oruma, from constituency 1 of Burutu LGA, Delta State.
Recently, there is this appellate court that after three and half years sacked the Delta Governor.
How do you see that and will this work out in favour of Ogboru or in favour of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan?
As a matter of fact, it is a very sad thing for one to know that this case had dragged on till the dying minutes.
Why I use the word sad is that once our governors are occupying a seat that does not belong to them for over three years, they have the edge. This should not be allowed to take place. You can't buy the world. It is sad thing because he was not supposed to be there in the first place. Now he found himself there and after three and half years, justice has emerged. However, it becomes a joyful thing to see that justice has been done.
Some other people speak before now like the Okocha case but they couldn't succeed and I am saying this loud and clear, nobody can fight God, nobody can beat God. God has destined and when that time comes, nobody can charge it. God has said it that this is the time so let us accept it.
Yes, a lot of persons are to be blamed because most times because of the issues of finance of money, people hide themselves from the fact, when the reality is established, they tend to turn their face against that reality which is a sad thing.
Talking of whom to blame especially, if you say the INEC, the INEC has done their job.
So I must tell you Iwu was supposed to be the person to be arrested instead of the Governor? Like PDP or Uduaghan and some others whose election was nullified?
Iwu alone shouldn't take the blame, what of those who connived at the fraud?
Iwu can be arrested while those who impose those Governors on us should also be sent to jail. They should be called to question and when they can't defend it, let us send them to go and face the law. You know, the law is no respecter of persons. There are things you can establish on him and say yes these things are what is written on the law. Iwu alone cannot take the blame.
Of course we could say that because Iwu alone cannot take some decisions, despite the fact that he was not man enough to take his own decision, there is going to be total difference from the presidency to the counsellorship there's going to be total difference, that is what I believe.
You cannot occupy a seat for God sake illegally for over how many years. So every Nigerian in his mind knows that if he occupied a seat illegally and he is punished at the end of the day for it, he will not stick his neck out. I will say no am not doing the right thing let me just back out.
This is why we say we must start from somewhere. I'm using that as an example because it has happened. What is important now is to avoid these things. The past now is gone, God has helped us and even governor Uduaghan in setting examples. God has used the total populace of the Delta to remove Uduaghan. Look at the celebration. It was just like when Abacha died. You cannot even compare that to Abacha's death. The whole of Delta were jubilating. Why are they jubilating? Because justice has prevailed justice has come back to us.
But they said those people that were jubilating were not people who actually voted.
That is what they will always say because they always falsify the truth.
What does it mean, is it the public again Delta State will be fooled by anybody if anywhere you are in the world you can be jubilating that the governor has been removed, then who are the people, who is he governing?
According to the rumour in town, which I'm putting in quote, 'The okada people was bought by the deputy from Okwale and from other place. And apart from that even if he won this case you know, building even his own constituency will be a problem, since, even the LG Chairman is a PDP man, and even the lawmaker.
As a matter of fact, if he says that Ogboru did not win in his ward, how can he when he was disenfranchised?
That is that is exactly what happened. How can he win in his ward when you disenfranchise him. He will not even allow himself to vote because most of them who went to the polling vote to vote were not even given the opportunity to vote for the right person. This is the naked truth. Let people vote for their rightful choice of persons. For example, Ogboru will not be able to win in his ward because he will not even be allowed to vote for himself.
People who came there to vote for him were not even given the opportunity to vote. They were chased away by the government and the ballot boxes were all snatched. They were all taken to somewhere to be thumb printed for somebody else. So how will you expect him to win except you want Ogboru to do the same that the governor has done. If he has done the same thing, then Ogboru can come out and say that he also won.
He also won, or there was no election in his house?
That is what he has said, he has just said that there was no election, he didn't tell the public and the Delta State and the country.
He said there was no election and everybody stood by that because it's a clear case. He would have also come out and said he won. If that was what people wanted him to say.
But who was Okocha standing for before he was knocked out.
Technically, Okocha was standing on the aspect of Adams, He as a candidate was not… His name of not on the ballot paper, He was not selected as a candidate for the election.
He was omitted.
Just like what happened in Rivers state?
Yes exactly.
Governor Amaechi, was omitted by INEC, ordinarily such a thing like this that has happened, is worth cutting off the total election because he is an aspirant.
Don't you think that the national leader of the Ijaws Chief Ike Clark has an influence over this matter?
Right from day one he has been saying that Uduaghan was imposed and he doesn't want to see Uduaghan there as governor. That Uduaghan is not the governor of Delta State.
Before I comment on that, I am very sure, you … you know what Senator
Ike Clark stands for, the father of the nation, the leader of the Niger Delta stands for one thing, that thing is justice.
He stands for the fatherless, he stands for the oppressed, he stands for those being oppressed, there are some people who are oppressed and don't have money to take, a lawyer, Right from day one those are the people he has been standing for. He has stood for justice in the state and he still till this minute that I speak to you demands that injustice must not go on continuously without justice. As a matter of fact, he has been vindicated.
What do you have for your people since you're running in 2011?
My people know me and I know, them. It's they who have mandated me to run for the House of Assembly slot in 2011