The immediate past governor of Delta state, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, said Thursday that all the projects being paraded by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa were built by his administration.
Delta state Traditional Rulers Council had honoured former Governors James Ibori, Ifeanyi Okowa and his deputy, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, for their contributions to the infrastructural development of the state.
Uduaghan’s name was missing on the list of those to be honoured for their huge contributions to the infrastructural development of the state by the traditional council in Asaba, the state capital.
But despite building some of the star projects in the state including the Asaba International Airport, Government House, Asaba, the two Delta Malls (Asaba and Effurun) and the Dome Event Centre where the event is being held, ex-Governor Uduaghan’s name was conspicuously missing.
Following a cold-war between Uduaghan and Governor Okowa-led PDP government, the former defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre from where he ran for the Delta South Senatorial race but lost in the last general elections.
According to him, “Julius Caesar, Animal Farm & Things Fall Apart, were some of the books we used in our literature classes at FGC, Warri. The ‘cuts’ did not kill Ikemefuna or Julius Caesar. The shock of knowing who inflicted the ‘cuts’, killed them!
”The former governor described his exclusion from the honour list as attempt to rubbish his huge contributions to the infrastructural development of the state.
“Any ex-governor has the capacity to ensure that his state is peaceful, or create a platform for crisis. You cannot fund and mobilise traditional rulers to Asaba to spite me. All of us get “smart cunny.””
“In spite of the lies out there, I was on the driver’s seat in 2014/15, to midwife the current Delta state administration. The critical responsibility of any state leader is to ensure that all actions maintain the peaceful nature of the state.
“Today’s power is not in the guns you have acquired. Power is in the handset we are all carrying. In sponsoring an action, do you assess the ethnic & political implications at all? Some actions are just damn silly!!!
“On the infrastructural development, those coming by air will be landing at Asaba airport built & put into use in my administration. Asaba airport had transported 100k+ of passengers including every past & current Presidents/VPs in Nigeria before I left office.
“I wish you a great ceremony as you use the event centre & Government House complex built by my administration.
Reacting to the statement, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu said that “We are glad that the traditional rulers council have assessed the administration of Governor Okowa and deemed it fit to honour him. They know the performance of the successive administrations.”
