Chief Olorogun O’tega Emerhor is the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Alliance Group. He recently joined the governorship race in Delta state. In this in interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he speaks on his chances of defeating PDP in Delta state if given the ticket, his programmes and why Nigerians are tired of PDP
You contested for senatorial election, and someone else was declared the winner; you are still going into another governorship race. What gives you the confidence that this time around, you are going to have your way?
Well, experience is the best teacher as they say and I tell you, this time, it’s slightly different. Looking at the Delta Central election, the party was not really well formal that time; we were just merging, we didn’t have enough structure and even among us, there was division amongst members of ACN, DPP and other people. But we have now a very strong party, well-structured to the grassroots and we also learnt some lessons from that election and more than that, there is a groundswell of people who are tired of the inept rule of PDP for the past sixteen years in Delta state. They want to throw them out and we are the vehicles they want to use.
What is your strength for this election? What do you really want to change in Delta state?
What do I want to change is too much to name; it is bad government to start with. What is government? Government is development. Delta is a very rich state by all standards, come to Delta and see the roads, come to Delta and see the medical care in Delta, come to Delta and see the unemployment nothing and that is why you see kidnapping and so many crime happening in that state. This should not be, we have comparable states, look at Lagos, look at Rivers state, I mean you can see when a government is working. We want to bring government that will work in Delta state.
The likes of Great Ogboru and others are also in the race. We even heard that Gov. Uduaghan has anointed someone to be governor in that state. Tell us your chances of winning the election if you get the ticket?
Well, it is PDP that has zoning, APC doesn’t have that zoning. People are tired of PDP so even those people in Delta North who are crying that their zone has not brought a governor, they are all coming to say that look, what we want first is good government before issue of zoning and they are ready to support APC to change the government in Delta state, if we are going to get to zoning. Let’s first of all change, let’s first of all have a government that work. That is the cry of everybody and I also come from Delta central that has a significant population when it comes to voting. So, if PDP is picking somebody from Delta North, fine but at least I have some home advantage and added to that, the cry from both Delta North, Delta South and Delta Central that enough of bad government of sixteen years .
Sir, the states in the Niger Delta have clamored for resource control, more percentage on oil derivation and other parts of the country are saying you have had something more than others, why still clamoring for more. Do you think that such arguments for more resources to Niger Delta states and the extreme one of resource control should have any justification?
Well, there are two issues mixed together. Yes, Niger Delta people have been given some sort of concession – I don’t want to use the word concession – have been deservingly given a percentage of the revenue that comes from oil. Okay, it is more because truly we have antecedents in this country, where resource control, resource allocation was given at a higher percentage. So, that is part of the driving force; just like saying, ‘ look if this resources is coming from our land ,we should have increased share; we should have more;’ but I think the bigger reason why a lot of people till cry for more is what is being given to us is not even being used very well, if It was being used very well, and the evidence of its use is on ground, people will feel that l this is doing the work and is adequate; but a lot of people don’t know. A lot of people don’t know that is not being used very well, a lot of people believe that the more they bring before the evidence can show. So I tell you, my first priority is to use what is coming now to show that it can work so that you can even justify asking for more.
Delta state is one of the South-south states believed to be strong hold of PDP, how do you want to scale through?
Well, I believe that Nigeria is not isolated in this world. Most of the developed countries have a two-party system, strong two party system; even our neighbor – Ghana- has two-party system, two strong parties . People want to try something else. I believe even people in Niger Delta are not happy with the state of affair in this country today. They are not happy that the whole of North-East is almost gone with all the insurgents going on there, they are not happy with impunity in government that a speaker will resign, that a speaker without being impeached, the security will be taken away from him and that he will not even be allowed into National Assembly, you saw people climbing fence; these are elected legislators climbing fence to go to the National Assembly today. You saw in Ekiti state, seven legislators are impeaching a speaker in a house of 26 members. These are things that ordinary Nigerians are not happy about, so it is not about Jonathan or about anybody, it just happened that he is in PDP and he is the leader of that party, people in Niger Delta want a better country that is my belief.
