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Ex Gov Mbadunuju to Gov Obi:Please pay my outstanding
gratuity
Newsdiaryonline Fri July 22,2011
The Former Governor of Anambra State Dr Chimwoke
Mbadunuju, has called on the
current Governor Sir
Peter Obi, to pay his outstanding 8 years gratuity noting
that " it is unheard of
and not fair that a fellow Governor seats on his
colleagues entitlements
I don not deserve this at all.’’ He Speaks exclusively on this
and other national issues. Here are the excerpts of the
interview.
Interview By Joy Idam, Abuja
Your comment on the current face off on the South East
insistence to complete
tenure as National Chairman PDP?
Ordinarily all members owe allegiance to the party
decisions that is on
this National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party,PDP zoned for
four years in which
South East still have it till March 2012. So the problem arose
when Chief Vincent
Ogbulafor and Okwesilieze Nwodo were removed . The President
wanted the Acting
Chairman Alh Bello who was on ground to act as they say a bird
at hand is worth over a
million in the forest. President Jonathan obviously
prefers Bello ," if you
ask me he should continue ,it was better for Bello to
continue , but the
reality is that elections have come and gone we are now under
a new era. The Chairman post should naturally go back to those
it was zoned to which is
South East, because it is only fair that each zone should stick
with the position zoned
to her. Ours runs till March 2012 and i expect that the North
East and the party
heirachy should respect this and wait till then to assume
office.
It is not easy to retain that post what is your attraction ?
You know how many South Easterners held Senate President
Position and how many
have been National Chairman of PDP, I trully do not know why it
is South East that is always having issues. " i am an
established man and i believe in
our party. I do not talk any how neither do i make noise , so
nobody can ask me why i
want to lead PDP. My name was dragged into the list alongside 14
others, all of
them credible gentlemen but if the party feels there is an
office i can handle for
them or a post with my experience i can handle in the
party , PDP why not i
will gladly make myself available.
Comment on the state of security i the country knowing how
much you were rated
under security ?
There was a national competition after the Prof
Jerry Gana led Media
Tour and Anambra got the cup for Infrastructural development and
a gold cup for security
of life and property, we carted home all the prizes for
security. During my
first year in office robbers used to write to streets
informing them that they
are coming to steal, the traditional security
vigillantes could not
handle it. When i became Governor the Umulere Agulere
issue was also on i insisted i must visit the place, i put the
deputy Governor beside
me and we both travelled there we went and returned safe after
which the jinx there was
broken.
I
later invited President Obasanjo and we went there and he
preached to the Bishops
on return we prepared a blue print Anambras in diaspora returned
home regularly no
robbery,kidnaps etc. I was there for my people when it mattered
most. It was rumoured
that i was not working , so President Obasanjo came and
scored me A. He saw the
Women Development Center fully equipped to empower the
women he commissioned
it,he also commissioned the new Governors lodge and why I was
called names, with 700 million naira per month salary was
N583million we built
with the balance.
People from the South West are saying they were deprived Speaker
they want National
Chairman
PDP said it zoned the post of National Chairman to the North
East, who perform
ed and the South East also and got Secretary to Government of
Federation,SGF. You do
not always get what you desire, you will agree with me
that the South West
didnt perform at all for the Party i their zone. they were
their own problem .
2015 is around the corner the South East and North West are both
angling for it whether
it goes to the South East depends on the hard work put in
Politics is not about
having good course ,you must fight for the position. The party
has not agreed it should revert to South East its not yet
concluded the argument is that both
former party leaders were removed but the party heirachy has not
given a nod for the
South East to continue."
There have been alot of bomb explosions what would you advise
President Jonathan has
he done enough?
What he is doing is good ,he has met with all the Security
Chiefs , we had similar experience in the South South with the
militants but with the Boko
Haram we cznt afford to negotiate as some people advised that it
will be counter
productive and other sects may rise and demand same. there must
be limit , some of us
have knowledge on security matters if the Federal Government
wants us to share it we
will make it available. In my State we
held special prayers
every monday and it got to a point that people could carry their
money in barrow to the
bank and nobody attacks the traders.
Can Nigeria Survive 2015?
It’s a terrible situation but Nigeria will survive as a nation
but at a huge cost , if
the happenings are not properly checked as soon as possible.
The build up to the 2015
election must be watched . The South East have said it
is a do or die affairs
that they have never tested Presidency as such 2015 is
their turn. Yet IBB was
quoted to have said
he is retiring from politics only
for him after two weeks
to warn that all those eying Presidency in 2015 should
forget it that it is for
North alone.
The The East will do their best, the North East will do all to
corner it and there
is also a 3rd factor and probability from the President Jonathan
boys who may just
suggest to him that he has every constitutional right to seek
for second term,
since the one year he served in 2010 was to complete late
President Yar Adua
tenure.And there are other Nigerians who would say he has
performed and canvass
for a second term for him. The
three schools of thought are right and whemn you have three
rights competing for one
thing you i pray for stability for Nigeria.
IF GEJ runs in 2015 will you support him ?
President Jonathan is my man, we worked together in Bayelsa and
later in 2011 we
produced posters for the whole South East and mobilised support
for him am not serving
in his cabinet now, ordinarily i expect that what you sow
you reap if i become or
emerge the National Chairman i would serve the party
interest. He is the
party leader and must handle the National Chairman issue
well , he can choose to
change it but that may cause crises and what we want now
and desire most is peace
within and outside the party.
The Governors are apologising to Boko Haram
The sect is confined to the North. If the Governors spend time
to apologise it is to
seek peace , whoever knows how to end their activity should
do something before it
gets late.In the south south their leaders spoke to
them, so I’m very
impressed with what the Governors are doing. I pray it
calms
their nerves. Whatever
can checkmate them should be done as soon as possible.
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