Urhobo Group Blasts Ex-Minister, Gbagi over Remark on Delta Deputy Governor

Former Minister of State of Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi has come under

attack over statement credited to him for advising Delta State Deputy

Governor, Professor Amos Utuama SAN to drop his gubernatorial ambition on

the ground of old age.
It would be recalled that Kenneth Gbagi who had declared his intention to

context for Delta State Governorship election in 2015 addressed a press

conference at Warri, Delta State recently in which he advised the present

Deputy Governor of Delta State Amos Utuama to drop his governorship

ambition based on his old age.
Rebuking the former Minister on his remark on the person of the Deputy

Governor of Delta State after arising from their Council meeting, group

under the aegis of Urhobo Collective Agenda of Nigeria (UCAN) in a

statement titled, “The Urhobo Nation and Kenneth Gbagi…The Unacceptable

and Unconstitutional Dance of an Aspirant”, signed by its Chairman

Ighogbado Emuesiri Esq, Secretary-General, Enaowho Dominic and Public

Relations Officer, Etaneri Mudiaga argued that Gbagi's advise to

Utuama to drop his gubernatorial ambition on the ground of age is

unsolicited, rude, unacceptable and unconstitutional.

Describing Gbagi's statement as premature which revealed him as an

unintelligent aspirant that lacks depth and content in the conduct of

human affairs, the group argued that Gbagi in the course of the press

interview did not at any point state what he plans to do for the people of

Delta State if he becomes the Governor of the state, adding that rather he

concentrated on making utterances whose sole aim is to pull down Utuama.

The group maintained that it is not in the character of an average Urhobo

man or woman to use rude, uncouth and abusive language to address issues

relating to their Seniors and benefactors, adding that it is also not

within the ethics of the Bar.
“We have decided to educate Kenneth Gbagi that his ill motivated advise is

totally unacceptable and not in the character of a true Urhobo son or

daughter to show this level of disrespect to a senior under the pretence

of “advising him”. This we believe is all in a bid to pull down Prof. Amos

Agbe Utuama SAN our Deputy Governor and the number one politically elected

office holder from Urhobo Nation in Delta State.
“We are concerned and worried that Kenneth Gbagi whom we believe has a

copy of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, can give such

an unsolicited advice to his former lecturer without citing the section

where it is stated that a person above 60 cannot contest for the Governor

of a State or President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We hereby state categorically that Prof. Amos Agbe Utuama SAN, the Deputy

Governor of Delta State and any person above the age of 35 as provided

under S. 177(B) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria is eminently qualified and equipped to run for any office

including the office of Governor of Delta State,” the group disclosed.

The group vowed that they are prepared to support Utuama or any other

Urhobo son or daughter who decided to run for the Governorship of Delta

State than to support Gbagi who have chosen to dance naked in public in

the name of seeking political office.
They noted that as a group, they are not prepared to shy away from

taking a stand against people like Gbagi who because of their personal

ambitions, fail to be humble and show respect to their Urhobo Elder

Statesmen and women or the Government of Delta State and the Federal

Government of Nigeria.
The group maintained that they strongly condemned the shameful action by

Gbagi for giving such an ill conceived advise to a very prominent Urhobo

son whose unblemished, record in the service of the Urhobo Nation and

Delta State is worth of very high commendation, just as they pointed out

that Gbagi must also be made to realize that the office of the Governor

and Deputy Governor of any state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria should

not be brought to ridicule by any one especially those who plan to occupy

it.
“Consequently, we are through this medium calling on all those who wish

to seek any political office in Delta State and in the Nation, to be

cautious and humble with their language in the pursuit of same because as

our elders say “the word of mouth is like an egg” if it falls and breaks,

it cannot be put together again.
As Nigerians and Deltans, we expect the former minister of State to

project a high standard of decorum and a temperament that is not directed

by negative human emotions or impulses. We expect that verbal outbursts

that can otherwise be classified as “private discussions” should not be

subjected to unnecessary cheap press conferences. We expect that

ex-ministers including ministers of State in or out of office should

conduct themselves with some level of dignity and not desecrate their past

offices to the extent that people are asking how the individual managed

to become a minister of state in the first place,” the group advised.