Rt. Hon Victor Ochei was engaged in a bare it all interactive session with the ANIOMA VOICE crew and he was honest enough to open up to so many questions bothering on Anioma nation and Delta state politics. Trust the man called Lion of Anioma politics to do justice to every question thrown at him. Relax and enjoy this piece of meal from Akamesike’s desk. Excerpts….
Q: What’s Your View On The Recent Local Government Election?
Ans: … You have seen it for yourself. In a resume the election was sham. I don’t know the reason why they should carry thugs to elections, in this modern age.
ASABA STREET LIGHTS.
Q: Was There Anytime You Were Given A Contract To Supply Diesel For Powering The Street Lights In Asaba Which You Subleased To Mrs. Uduaghan And Which For One Reason Or The Other You Switched Off Those Lights Thereby Keeping The People In Darkness?
Ans: Supplying of diesel can’t be a contract standing on its own. Davnotch company was awarded a contract to install and maintain street lights in Asaba and metropolise and that includes the diesel cause the generators are been powered by diesel. My company was given the contract and buying of diesel was part of the contract. There was never a time Mrs. Uduaghan supplied diesel. There was no time she approached me or Davnotch to be supplying diesel. I challenged anybody to come out with facts about that.
I left office office in March and the lights went off in December so that the people can enjoy it during Christmas. We discovered that we can’t keep buying diesel when the government is owing us for 7 month. Even till date they have not paid.
Whoever has any prove that Mrs. Uduaghan was supplying diesel for powering the street lights should come up with it. Supplying of diesel was part of the contract given to Davnotch.
IPP PROJECT.
Q: What Actually Happened To That Project?
Ans:People were politicizing it. They don’t understand the difference between a contract and a matter you need to politicize. Contracts are drawn straight up. It was awarded to a company and government was only a client. I was a member then of the company when the contract was awarded. The contract was ongoing and because of the volume of the contract people started writing all manner of rubbish all because it was Victor Ochei. Why would Victor Ochei handle such amount of money. Recently, the administration of Okowa said they want to sell the IPP. Can you sell something that does not exist? They don’t even know the terms of the contract. I know that at the appropriate time the company will come out with a full dossier. You want to sell a contract without informing the contractor handling it. Come to arbitration let’s settle it. Delta state government refused to come for arbitration and we took them to court for them to come for arbitration.
Q: There’s Another Issue That Came Up Sometime Ago About Your Factory Diverting Your Community Light.
Ans: I don’t have any factory that diverted light in my constituency and I pray I have one tomorrow. The factory they are talking about at Issele Azagba took their light direct from Obosi and they were having constant power supply. Now the people are having light and the factory is still having their usual light, does it mean that Ochei has released the light to them?
Q: As A Member Of The APC Today Which Is An Opposition Party In The State, Will You Still Go Back To The PDP Or To Any Other Party If You Are Not Given The Ticket By The APC?
Ans: Political parties are just nomenclatures which can be used as a vehicle by anyone to arrive at a destination. There is no ideology, so it doesn’t matter which party you belong to. It is the people that makes the parties and parties don’t make the people.
Q: What Is It That This Same PDP Was Doing So Good As At The Time You Were There And Now That You Have Left? Why Was It So Good A Party When You Were The Speaker But Now You See It As A Bad Party Because You Are No Longer A Member?
Ans: The leadership of the PDP as at the time I was there was an all inclusive party where everybody was carried along under one umbrella. That was between year 2000 and 2014.
Q: Did Okowa Ever Ask You To Run For The Senate While He Contests For The Guber?
Ans: Okowa never asked me to run for senate. That was a lie from the pit of hell. You can ask him. I also asked him that before Pastor Chris Eromudor and he said he never asked me to run for the senate. That was to malign my person. The only time they called me for a meeting at Peter Nwoboshi’s house was a day prior to the gubernatorial primaries and at that time, he invited me, Obielum with some others. Obielum refused to go but I went. At that meeting, their idea was to collapse everything for Okowa, and I told them it was too late for us to do that cause Anioma may loose out. If I had not stayed in that race there would have been a problem for Anioma. I thank God I went to the field and it was a sacrifice I made for Anioma. I got my bloc votes from the Urhobos and if I had not contested like others who collapsed their structure for Okowa, the bloc votes I got would have gone to Edevbie and you know what that would have meant.
Q: Do You Have Any Ambition To Run For The Governorship Race In 2019?
Ans: Every human being has ambition. It might not be electoral. I have been urged to run but I have not yet concluded on that.
Q: What If You Are Approached And Ask Not To Run, To Allow Okowa Complete His 2 Term, Will You Agree?
Ans: Until that is done. If they approach me not to run, I will still look at it. But for now, no one has asked me not to run. Like I said, every human being has an ambition. So for now they are asking me to run and no one has asked me not to run.
Q: Do You Really Believe In Anioma Agenda?
Ans: It depends on what you mean by that. I stand 100% for Anioma agenda if the purpose is for the interest of the people and not for selfish interest. Again, don’t ever talk about Anioma agenda without carrying the other senatorial districts along. Don’t reduce governance cause without those other districts you cannot have an Anioma Governor of the state.
Q: How Is Your Relationship With Ibori Like?
Ans:… Very cordial. As well as that of Uduaghan.
To be continued……
