Delta 2023: Ex-minister, Orubebe Named DG, Omo-Agege Gubernatorial Campaign

•We’re poised to chase PDP from Govt House, says APC candidate

Omon-Julius Onabu

Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs under the President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Godsday Orubebe has been named the Director-General, Delta State of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation.

The Deputy President of the Senate and Delta APC Governorship Candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, unveiled the former minister, the Director, Communications and Media Strategy, Delta APC Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation, Mr. Ima Niboro, in a statement yesterday.

Orubebe had about three weeks ago announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after initial denial of his intention to dump the main opposition party for the ruling party.

His congratulatory message to the former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his emergence as the 2023 APC Presidential Candidate, shortly after defecting, heralded the Ijaw politician’s arrival at his new party in June.

However, the statement quoted Omo-Agege to have said: “Orubebe is bringing on board a towering wealth of experience, and shall oversee all ramifications of the campaign for the mandate of Deltans in the 2023 governorship elections.

“Orubebe shall, side by side with me, lead critical engagements and drive consultations, and by his renowned robustness, up the ante for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Together with the rest of the team, we shall show PDP the way out of Government House come May 29, 2023.”

While expressing confidence that his appointment would strengthen the state APC campaign organisation, Omo-Agege noted that, “when news of Elder Godsday Orubebe’s resignation from the PDP filtered in, June, our campaign organisation applauded him for toeing the path of progress and enjoined him to pitch tent with progressives in the APC, and help in the task of taking over Government House come 2023.

“He will be bringing to our campaign organisation his vast reach at the grassroots, as well as at the state and federal levels, having been a supervisory councillor and chairman of Burutu Local Government Area, a state party chairman, and a two-time minister of the federal republic.”

The statement further said that, “Orubebe was born June 6th, 1959 at Ogbobagbene in Burutu Local Government Area in Delta State. He attended the  University of Lagos, where he earned a B.Sc. in Political Science in 1985. He later attended Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, where he obtained a master’s degree in International Relations.

“Orubebe was supervisory councilor and later chairman of Burutu LGA. In July 2007, President Umru Musa Yar’adua appointed him Minister of Special Duties. He was later to become Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs when the ministry was created in December 2008.

“When he eventually became full-fledged minister of that ministry, one of his key achievements was to drive the construction of the East/West Highway in a rapid fast track. Under his watch, the ministry constructed 38 out of 42 bridges, and over 900 culverts of the 1000 designed for the road.

“Orubebe was also at the forefront of negotiating peace with Niger Delta militant groups, which had brought crude oil production in Nigeria down to less than 400,000 barrels a day from over 2.5 million barrels, in protest of perceived social, economic and environmental injustice in the region.

“Working with then Vice-President, and later President Goodluck Jonathan, he shares the credit of instituting the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, which successfully won the hearts and minds of most Niger Deltans and brought peace to the region.”