- Says PDP ‘ll Get Back Delta Central Senatorial Seat Come 2027
- Adds Pa E.K.Clark was Unequaled Elderstatesman…
Olorogun Fred Okiemute Majemite is a PDP stalwart from Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State. A one-time Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban development, Olorogun Majemite has has remained loyal and committed to the PDP even when the last appointment he had in the State was as far back as 2011. In this exclusive interview, Majemite extolled the Leadership style of the governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, stating that he has come not only to surprise but to shock his critics who initially did not give him a chance. Majemite also said that only God could send a replacement for the late father of the Ijaw nation and leader of the South South, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.
*Excerpts* :
*Nigerians have just lost an illustrious son, Chief Dr. Senator Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, who past on at the ripe age of 97 years. Many people are expressing worries as to who could possibly replace the late voice of the voiceless. And the question is: a vacuum has been created. Who can fill it?*
First of all, I thank God for the life Chief Pa. E. K. Clark lived. He lived a fulfilled life. E. K. Clark was a father to everybody. He was very active till when he said bye bye to his last day. Even though he died at an old age, we still miss him greatly. You will recall he was no longer scared of death. He was always saying that he was in the departure hall waiting to onboard. And at a time we thought the flight would not be coming soon. But he finally left us. E. K. Clark was not just a leader of the Niger Delta, he was one of the leaders of Nigeria having being a one-time Federal Commissioner for Information (Minister) during the tenure of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.
Yes, a great vacuum has been created because he was the voice of the voiceless; the voice of the oppressed people; was the voice clamouring for resource control; he was the voice of true federalism. And no matter who you are, his feelings about anything, he will make it known to you and to the world. That was the kind of person he was, he was fearless. And especially the platform he floated with some of his colleagues, Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, will miss him.
His exit has left a big vacuum. Some of us still wonder whether there will be someone to fill that vacuum. But again, you know that nature abhors vacuum. So, we are praying that his exit will catapult one of our own to take over from where he stopped. But it is obvious there can never be another Pa. E. K. Clark again. So, all we have to do now is to pray to God to bring another vibrant and fearless leader to continue from where he stopped because the issues he was concerned about are still there – true federalism, resource control, the way the country is being managed especially by the present federal government. In fact, the situation is going from bad to worse now. It is affecting everybody.
But all they are telling us is that we should tarry, we should bear, that it would be better. But for how long can we wait? That is the problem. People are dying every day, dying of hunger. The cost of medicals has spiralled, not everybody can afford medicare again.
Able-bodied men and women are leaving the country in droves in what has become popularly known as ‘japa’. So, it is a big problem for us as it concerns Nigerians. If you look at the Niger Delta, especially, we still have a lot of degradation in the area. Our riverine communities can’t carry out their occupation of fishing and farming anymore because of oil pollution and spillages. Yet, they continue to exploit the oil everyday without a commensurate remediation and compensation to the people. So, the problems are still there. It is our prayers that one of us will spring up someday to take over from where E. K. Clark has left.
*Some people are speculating that the former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has all it takes to step into the big shoes which late Pa. E. K. Clark left behind. Do you see the qualities of fearlessness and vibrance which you mentioned earlier, in the former President for him to be able to fill the vacuum?*
No, not all! I think that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is more of a trouble-shooter and a pacemaker. He would rather opt for peace at all time. But you and I know that there can never be peace when there is no justice. And the cost of justice is very high now, that is why we must press for it, we must fight for it. And former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan does not fall under that purview. I doubt if he can take the mantle of leadership in that wise, otherwise, former President Goodluck Jonathan is a good man but he is better known for peace. And so, to agitate for what his people want, he doesn’t have that carriage. He doesn’t have the courage to do that.
The man who would take over from late Pa. E. K. Clark must also be a man who would be fearless, somebody who will have the interest of the Niger Delta and, indeed, the interest of the nation at heart. Why it was easier for Pa. E. K. Clark to do what he did before he passed on was because he was there from the beginning. He understood Nigeria, he was an encyclopedia. If you sit with him to talk Nigeria, you will be amazed. Very few people are like him. The man is gone, I doubt if we could still have people like him. He will tell you everything about Nigeria with facts and figures.
He served selflessly. Pa. E. K. Clark was one man who was always concerned anywhere there was oppression; he was concerned where people are suffering. He would stand up to speak. He would never hide himself. We will miss him greatly. The only thing we can do now is to recall some of the things he did and see if could emulate them to see how we can better the lives of our people also.
*Now, let’s look at your party the PDP at the moment, especially all that is happening at the national level. Do you see it as a party that is preparing to galvanize and muster sufficient effort to make any meaningful impact in 2027?*
Well, there is no doubt that the party has some challenges. But again, no matter how hard they are, there must be solution. If there are no room for mistakes, then there will be no need for erasers. We are trying everything possible to ensure that we become one again. You know, recently, we had a real squabble with the position of the Secretary of the party. But that has been put to rest now with the court judgment. I also know that there are still some minor skirmishes here and there, but I believe they will all be resolved in no distant time. Very soon we shall be having our congresses which have been put on hold to allow the tenure of the present exco will be over. There are a lot of trouble-shooting now.
But the responsibility now rest on our governors because they are the leaders of the party now. But I’m happy that the ‘undiluted’ ones, that is, those who really believe in the party and are core PDP from inception, are doing everything possible to ensure that the party come alive again. Our governor, His Excellency, Sheriff Oborevwori, is one of them. We don’t have any other party. Some persons are worried about some defections here and there, but it is normal. So, I believe PDP is going to put its house in order, which of course is what we are doing now, so that come 2027 we can give the APC a run for their money.
*Talking about the wave of defections that hit the party in the State in recent times, how convinced are you that those who had left will return at the nick of time or how sure are you that the party can make up with those who are expected to defect from the APC?*
I can assure you that some of the people that are leaving the party now will come back. You see, if you know, you know and if you don’t know you don’t know. What I’m trying to say is that PDP is still the only party that will answer your prayers. And some of those defecting are not sure whether the party will give them the ticket to run again. If you are somebody in the party and you are doing well, why then should you be worried? This is because the watchword is: what have you done? So, I believe that most of those leaving will come back. Some are leaving because of low patronage but you must understand that this government is still less than two years. There must be perseverance. So, I will enjoin us to persevere. If it doesn’t get to you now, it will get to you tomorrow. The last office I held was in 2011. But I’m happy with the party and I believe in it. I don’t have any other party to go. That the governor is from my Senatorial district is the more reason why I should remain more steadfast to support him so that he can do his two tenures.
Since the commencement of this political dispensation every governor that came in had done two tenures. So, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori should be allowed to do his two terms. And it is not just because he is from my Senatorial district, he is also doing very well. Nobody gave him a chance when he was elected. And in his M.O.R.E. Agenda, he has assured he will do more. For me, even if it is only the overhead bridges he completed, he would have done very well. He has surprised everybody, even bookmakers.
To crown it all, Governor Sheriff is not owing salaries. So, with what he has, he is doing a lot for Deltans. For me, he is on the right track. It’s on record that contractors are being paid as at when due. The governor will not give you a contract when he does not have the resources to pay you. It is also on record that for a reasonable time now it is only governor Sheriff that mobilizes contractors for jobs. So, in his tenure we will experience zero abandoned project. For you to be given a contract and mobilize, shows the governor’s commitment. Although, to whom much is given, much is expected. And he tells you, he has not borrowed money since he came into office. So, whether you like it or not, people must fall in love with him.
So, his detractors cannot fault him. He has not borrowed money and he is doing contracts everywhere, to the extent that he even mobilizes contractors to go to work. And his style is different. The style of the governor is novel. Sheriff did not train as engineer but he has an idea about construction. Somebody was saying that Sheriff does not need to have a gauge to measure the thickness of an iron rod, but that once he holds the rod he knows the diameter already. This is because he is passionate about what he is giving out.
And now, the contractors are being careful because they must know that it is not only the engineers from Ministry of Works that will come to inspect your job. So, woe betide a contractor if Governor Sheriff visits your site. And to add to that, he has set up a Bureau for Whistleblowers. If you as an individual or a community discovers that a contractor is doing a bad job or he is shortchanging, just dial a particular number and there will be a quick response.
To sum it all, Governor Sheriff has done what Napoleon could not do for France. So, those who did not give him chance before are now happy that he is doing very well. So, all he deserves from all of us is more support for him to do more in his M.O.R.E. agenda. I know that there is no vacancy in Government House in 2027. You don’t change what is good.
*So, are you trying to justify that the awards given to the Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, by Thisday/ Newspaper/Arise TV and the Daily Telegraph were well deserved?*
Yes! He merits them, very much unlike some who buy awards. You saw the publisher, Prince Nduka Obaigbuna, when he gave reasons why Gov. Sheriff was chosen. He said that from the beginning nobody even gave him a chance. And that when he started unfolding his M.O.R.E. Agenda, people started saying he is a governor to watch. And to crown it up, he has not borrowed money? So, the question is: where is this money coming from? So, for me, yes. He is a double award winner in just less than two years.
*2027 is around the corner. And from Delta Central Senatorial District where you hail from the contest for who becomes the next Senator may not be a team party. Do you aspire to join the Senatorial race in 2027?*
I know that come 2027, PDP will get back the Delta Central Senatorial seat. If you look at the event that trailed 2023 election, it was an anti-party problem that caused it, otherwise, the man that is there now from the APC, though is a nice man, but you and I know that if things were normal, he wouldn’t have been able to beat the candidate we had. But we have identified the root cause of the problem we had especially in the primary, and we are trying to deal with it. We will conduct the primary after our Congress and the proper candidate will emerge.
*The last but one Senator who occupied the Delta Central Senatorial seat had it for two terms. Don’t you think the incumbent Senator would also indicate interest in the seat for a second term?*
I don’t know. Maybe his party, the APC will give him a ticket for a second tenure. But we are saying that PDP will get the seat back in 2027. So, he must forget the idea of thinking of a second term. He should just concentrate on what he could do for his people now so that if not for anything, it would be on record that when I was there, this and that are what I did for my people. But I can tell you that come 2027, PDP will get the Delta Central Senatorial seat back.
