Why Orubebe Acted That Disgraceful Role

On the morning of Tuesday 31 March, Godsday Orubebe, former Niger Delta minister and one of the agents of the Peoples Democratic Party at the International Collection Centre of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Abuja, caused Nigeria a global embarrassment.

Orubebe during the spectacle display in Abuja 

With the entire world glued to their television sets waiting for the announcement of the winner of the 28 March presidential elections between incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, the Delta State-born self-acclaimed ‘Elder of a church’ slipped into a gangster mode.  

As the INEC chair, Professor Attahiru Jega was about to commence the announcement of the presidential election, Orubebe had interrupted the proceedings and called for the stoppage of the presentation of the results on Tuesday. And jaws dropped.

Orubebe, ranting on top of his voice, vilified and accused INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of partial by taken sides with their rivals, All Progressives Congress, as well as called the chief electoral umpire, an ethnic bigot.

“You sent a committee to Rivers to probe what happened there. We submitted petitions to you about Kano, Jigawa, Katsina but you have not done anything about our complaints. You cannot continue with these results; we will not take it,” Orubebe kept shouting.

As Jega tried to calm him down and asked to be given a chance to respond, Orubebe became angrier.

With a reddened face and threatened bedlam should anyone attempted to move near him, Orubebe continued raking: “Mr. Jega, you cannot continue. Go to your office…You are partial. We don’t have any confidence in you. We will not allow this. Nigeria will not allow this. You cannot continue. You must stop the announcing of the results.”

After about 25 minutes of exhausting his boiling energy, he later calm down. And Jega responded as well as dressed him (Orubebe) down.

Jega....dressed down Orubebe

Since the very disgraceful incident, many have been so curious to know why a former minister of the federal republic of Nigeria, a supposedly clergy and leader could agree to act that ignominious role.

Orubebe is no doubt one of the most powerful members of President Jonathan’s inner caucus. 

Jonathan...ignored calls to investigate Orubere

The man from Ogboagbene, a tiny community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, surely has the ears of the defeated incumbent president. And he has taken the advantage of this presidential privilege to engage in numerous sleazy activities.    

Investigations revealed that the former minister has a number of corrupt charges and petitions against his person waiting for the attention of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Despite how grotesque those petitions were, Orubebe was said to have cling on to the apron of President Jonathan to escape the long hands of the anti-graft operatives. He was alleged to be in the habit of boasting that with his closeness to President Jonathan, he has effectively pocketed the EFCC and no amount of petitions no matter how serious can see the light of the day. And he was ready to do anything to maintain the status quo because with Jonathan out of office, he’s in soup. Thus he went out of his way to take on the role of that hatchet man in Abuja.

We reveal some of those things that made him do what he did: 

Two years ago as he was preparing to take a shot as a gubernatorial aspirant in Delta State,a group believed to be made up of loyalists of the Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, petitioned the EFCC alleging that Orubebe, was involved in some shady activities and he cannot be the governor of Delta State in 2015 because of his alleged fraudulent activities and litigations awaiting him.

In the petition signed by Chief Godwin Ogbetuo, Dr. Brown Adasen, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Wing Commander Biakpara (rtd), Col G.A Eboma (rtd), Chief Hope Erute and 22 other loyalists of Clark, the group accused Orubebe of series of corrupt practices ranging from contracts inflation among others.

The group alleged that Orubebe had used his position as the then Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to corruptly amass wealth for himself, He was accused of spending a whopping N1, 2billion on a canalization project in his small Ogboagbene community. He equally allegedly spent over N3 billion on building a concrete foreshore wall in his village, using contractors who are fronting for him, with a view of appropriating the money to himself.

According to the petition, the Skill Acquisition Centre meant for Delta State is also being built in his ward of which his small village is part of it. Apart from the main contractor, all other contractors are his blood relatives who are fronting for him to collect billions of tax to… which is part of Orubebe’s village in Burutu Local Government council.

Also against the recommendation of public procurement, the Edo State Acquisition Skill Centre awarded to Halgold Nigeria Ltd was terminated. Orubebe allegedly re-awarded the contract to Messrs TDCI-Sew Consortium for personal reasons of greed and self aggrandizement rather than for the good of the people, the petitioners revealed.

"…it should be noted that the contract for the Edo State Skill Acquisition Centre was initially awarded in March, 2010 at the cost of N2.7 billion but was voided by Godsday Orubebe without any reason and re-awarded to Messrs Halgold Nigeria Ltd for three billion, one hundred and fifty million, fifty-five thousand, one hundred and six naira, three kobo, in March, 2012.

"However, in 2012, the Minister cancelled the contract and awarded it to TDCI-Sew consortium on June 15, 2012 for the sum of N4, 627, 222, 904 without due process. Why the frequent cancellation and re-awarding? Why the inflation of cost each time these contracts are re-awarded? These are issues to be resolved if EFCC must win the war against corruption,” the group added.

Three years into the petition, Orubebe has not been called to respond to the petition.

Also of note was another expose by Senator-elect Dino Melaye of the insatiable and corrupt tendencies of Orubebe.

Melaye...exposed Orubebe

Melaye, through his anti-corruption watchdog group, Anti-Corruption Network, has accused the former minister of primitive acquisition of several mansions and choice landed properties in the exotic areas of Abuja.

Melaye, with pictures to support his claims, alleged that a palatial mansion at the Minister’s Hill in Mabushi area of Abuja where Orubebe used to live as a minister was built by a construction company, Setraco, and delivered to Orubebe in less than six months after the company had benefitted from contracts to build part of the East-West highway in the Niger Delta region.

The Mabushi mansion

Days after the allegations went viral, Orubebe was alleged to have caused the documents of the properties changed to reflect a northerner as the owner of the mansion.

On the issue of the East-West road, Governor Rotimi Amechi of Rivers State has severally complained of the mess the road has become as well as turning the project as a drain pipe by some unscrupulous politicians of the Niger Delta extraction including Orubebe.

Amaechi.

Apart from litany of financial corrupt allegations levelled against the former minister, he also has some moral issue problems as allegation of illicit relationship with a certain married but now separated former powerful female minister who just won an election into the national assembly. 

In spite of all the damning allegations against him, Orubebe remains untouchable. 

In fact, the man, through the magnanimity of his friend, President Jonathan is now a holder of Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.

Forget the moral and financial deficiencies albatross wore on his neck like a collar, the man is also a "respectable man of God" who combines politics with his role as the Shepherd and General Overseer of a church named 'Glory Sanctuary Christian Centre.

During his May 2014 All Night Prayers edition in his church, Orubebe claimed that not human but God, who had fulfilled many promises in his life. The former minister claimed that he had always be embolden by God in all his doings and thus enjoined his sheep (congregations) to have same confidence in demanding whatever they wanted from God.

But guess many of them would be disappointed in their G.O as he displayed that "Agbero' stuff in front of the global audience.

His God failed him as he could not ordered or had his demand met that Jega should stop the announcement of the impending defeat of his buddy, President Jonathan. A calm Jega, former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, BUK, and Nigeria's most important man of that day went ahead to announce the sacking of his (Orubebe) principal.