2015 Guber: Zoning should be negotiated – Ex-Police Minister Former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo has advised politicians in Delta state not to make a big issue out of zoning of the governorship post saying, “These are things that should be negotiated by the political parties and the contestants.” Alaowei Bozimo who was reacting to a recent statement by the Secretary to the Delta state government, Comrade Ovouzorie Macaulay that there was nothing like zoning and the response of the Delta PDP chairman, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi said: “And in any event, in Delta state, we are going to see gradually, talents will emerge, whether from Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri or Anioma. From my thinking, I honestly believe that because we expect the Urhobos and Delta North to support my president, President Jonathan, therefore I have a soft spot from that perspective. If there is a Delta North candidate, I will vote for him. I am not going to expect that all Nigerians in Delta state will vote for Mr. President and then vote for my Ijaw and Urhobo people and become clannish about it. I believe that with time, a good candidate will come, if they come from the Delta North why not, I am not against a northern candidate, but I am not going to be parochial to say the Governor must be Ijaw or Urhobo, because they are my two constituencies. My mother is Urhobo while my father is Ijaw. I won’t do that because, I have campaigned that Ijaws, Itsekiris, Delta North should vote for Jonathan, so it will be selfish for me to say I do not want to support a candidate from Delta North or central. Alaowei Bozimo who spoke in an interview shortly after the celebration of Prof. J.P Clarks 80th birthday anniversary said further, “I do not want to be Oliver Twist, demanding for everybody to vote for an Ijaw man again, after they have voted for Jonathan”. He scored Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan high on his performance in view of the various challenges he met on assumption of office. “Do not forget that initially, there was a lot of restiveness and government had to spend a lot of time addressing that issue. It is only now that peace has returned that they are concentrating on the development of the state. You must give allowance for those things, but this is not to say everything had been perfect. But on the whole, I will give a good pass mark to the government of Uduaghan”. Responding to a question on attempts to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the Presidential race, the Former Minister warned that “it will be a serious error for any part of the country to contrive to prevent a man who is otherwise qualified from contesting the 2015 Presidential elections. It will be a serious error for any part of the country to prevent a man who is otherwise qualified to contest election, because he is a minority or an Ijaw man, he cannot contest a second term. It will be a serious, grievous and regrettable error and mistake. I think the President should be given a chance to contest and if he is defeated fairly, we will all support that decision.” According to him, the current situation is similar to what happened in United States when President Obama was allowed to contest for a second term with complete support from the Democratic Party. Responding to another question, the former minister said he was not aware that President Jonathan said he would not contest for a second term. “During the 2011 general election, I travelled around the country with Mr. President. I was in the team that visited the western region and former President Olusegun Obasanjo was there. It was indeed the west that first endorsed him”. Alaowei Bozimo said President Jonathan has done very well, and “I do not think there is any Nigerian or Nigerian President that can withstand the onslaught against Mr. President” adding, “but don’t you notice that he is on top of the situation, he is calmer and more focused” On the current challenges confronting the Nigeria police, the former Police Minister said facts available had shown that the Nigeria police officers were the best trained in Africa and internationally, they were well acclaimed. “The problem in Nigeria is not so much the problem of policemen, but the problem of all of us, especially the politicians. You can see the way they contrive these things and boxed in the police. It is not because I have special affiliation with the police. The problem is with us Nigerians and politicians. What is happening in Rivers state is not new, you remember what happened in the west during the first republic. My take on these things is that they will pass away. There is nothing we have not seen in Nigeria before.” Responding to another question, Alaowei Bozimo said politicians of today are not lacking in advice. “The problem is that they do not take heed of the advice. They know the examples set by great leaders like Obafemi Awolowo, Zik and Ahmadu Bello. We pray that with God on our side, we will overcome.” Speaking on the 80th celebration anniversary of Prof. Clark, the former minister described him as a very humble person. “He is a friend. He is a touch bearer for us in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. We are very proud of him. His work always reflect his root which are grounded in Ijaw culture”. In a lecture on the occasion, Professor Austine Anigala described Prof. Clark as “a scholarly goldfish of the Niger Delta. The literary horoscope reveals that he is a cosmopolitan, ebullient and visionary artistic commando of the Niger Delta. He is amiable, approachable, credible and reliable. He is an optimistic literary giant and scholarly diplomat who advocates for equity and justice.” Meanwhile, the recent utterance by the Secretary to the Delta State Governor (SSG) Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay, on the non-existence of an agreement for power shift among the three senatorial districts that makes up the State, the State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has warned all political appointees in the State to desist from granting political interviews to the press. The Governor gave the warning on Sunday, while speaking at a memorial thanksgiving service for Pa Donald Ochei and Mama Juliet Ochei, parents of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei at St. Peter\s Anglican Church, Onicha-Olona, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. According to the Governor, anything capable of overheating the polity ahead of the 2015 general elections must be avoided. \As far as I am concerned, no political appointee in Delta State should grant political interview, so that we do not overheat the system, you can grant interviews on the official duties of your department, ministry or agency,\ the Governor said. The Governor charged various aspirants to go about their businesses in a peaceful and lawful manner, as the government would not tolerate acts or utterances that were capable of breaching the peace of the state. \We should not say things that will heat up the polity; our utterances should be matured, edifying and guarded. God Almighty is the one that put us in positions, no matter what you do, if God says a person will enter an office, that person will make it to that office\, he stated. It would be recalled that Ovuozorie in the report, was quoted as saying that, “He is skeptical about the agenda of the Aniomas producing the next Governor of the State. According to the report, Ovuozorie said, “he was turned off by the negative campaign of marginalisation being labelled against the past rulers of the state by Anioma candidates, stressing that it smacks of an intention to engage in vendetta against the people of the South and Central districts, should an Anioma person become Governor in 2015, insisting that as an insider, he was not aware of any agreement between the Aniomas and other parts of the state for a power shift, adding that even if there was one, it was crystal clear that the people and leaders of Delta North never faithfully adhered to it.” In a swift reaction to Ovuozorie, the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Barr. Peter Nwaoboshi tongue-lashed the SSG for saying that he was not aware of any agreement between the Aniomas and other parts of the State for a power shift. Nwaoboshi who described the comment as “provocative,” said that he had received several phone calls since the SSG made the statement. “I want to say categorically here that the SSG should shut up his mouth and face the job the Governor gave to him to do as SSG. In the first place, he has no right to speak because, he is not a party functionary. He has never held party position in his life from ward to the national level. Also, he is not a foundation member of the party, but was brought in as a Journalist in Asaba. “He is just trying to make himself relevant. If he has political ambition, he should be bold to declare it and not to charge the political atmosphere with such provocative statements in the media,” Nwaoboshi said. On its part, rising to defend his kinsman, the Chairman of Isoko Grassroots Movement (IGM), Hon. Sunday Elueni has asked Nwaoboshi to address issues raised by Comrade Ovuozourie. He also challenged other governorship hopefuls from Anioma as well as their leaders to respond to the SSG’s tirade, which to him ought to be seen instead, as an advice. According to the IGM chairman, the SSG merely pointed out the flaws in the strategies adopted by governorship aspirants and other Anioma leaders in the bid to swing the pendulum in favour of Delta North Senatorial zone, come 2015. “How can Anioma nation be talking of marginalisation in spite of massive infrastructural development in the area? Are the Anioma more marginalised than the Isoko people? Why should they be talking about ethnicity instead of telling Deltans what they hope to achieve in the State?” he asked. Elueni particularly recalled that it was the same Nwaoboshi and his Anioma brothers who frustrated attempts to have a pact on zoning among the ethnic groups in the past and wondered how the same people opposed to the plan could turn around to say it exists. “What was Nwaoboshi’s role in Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s emergence? Was he not Chief Godwin Obielum’s main anchor when Uduaghan was running in 2006/2007? Did he not throw his weight behind Chief Great Ogboru from Delta Central in 2011, despite knowing that the man belonged to the opposition party? What if God had granted his wish, will Nwaoboshi still be talking of Zoning?” he questioned. Rather than resorting to the use of foul and negative words, the IGM boss advised all Governorship hopefuls to change strategy and instead, focus on issues based campaigns as should be the case in this circumstance.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 11:09:58 +0000