From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
A war of words has erupted within the human rights community in Delta State following the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This came as Comrade Tega Shalokpe, National Coordinator of the Foundation For Right Advocate, yesterday, sharply criticized Mr. Victor Ojei, a former Senior Special Assistant to the Delta Governor on Civil Society and NGOs, for his opposition to the move.
Ojei had recently resigned his appointment in protest of the defection, which he controversially labeled a “coup against the people of Delta State.”
He had publicly called on PDP members, pro-democracy groups, and civil society organizations to “rise against the Governor’s led All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State.”
However, in a statement released yesterday, Shalokpe questioned Ojei’s motives and his moral standing to oppose the governor’s decision.
She questioned Ojei’s apparent silence when his political mentor, Senator Ned Nwoko, made a similar move from the PDP to the APC.
“He had no issue with his political leader, Senator Ned Nwoko’s defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) but was now raising complains when it came to the turn of Oborevwori,” Shalokpe stated.
Shalokpe further alleged that Ojei’s opposition is driven by a hidden agenda linked to his principal’s political ambitions. “We know all your plans. The plot by your principal to become governor of the state, not through elections but courts. I will assure you it won’t work,” she declared emphatically.
She accused Ojei, who she referred to as “Wong Box,” of using human rights activism as a front for personal and political gain.
“He has been trying to capture some persons in this state into their own selfish interests, which are knowingly to him. That we already know. All their hidden agendas. We know their plans,” Shalokpe asserted. “And I want him to take this message to his principal that we know what they are up to. It can never happen.”
Shalokpe dismissed Ojei’s stated reason for resignation – insecurity – as disingenuous.
She questioned his inaction during previous periods of unrest and violence in the state. “Ojei claimed he was resigning because of insecurity but where was he when herdsmen were terrorizing people in their communities in Abraka, Aghalopke, Uwheru and other areas?” she asked.
“Wongbox where were you when Comrade Kelly Efemena Umukoro went to visit some of the affected places that was suffering from the herdsmen attack. Places like Abraka, Ughelli, Uwheru, Agadama and other places. Wongbox where were you?” Shalokpe continued, highlighting what she saw as Ojei’s selective activism.
“You did not resign for them. You did not speak up for them. You did not go there to visit them,” she added. “You should have been a human right activist for all and not for some particular persons. And if you are a human right activist for all, you would have resigned a long time ago, even before the defection of Governor Oborevwori to APC.”
Shalokpe reiterated her support for Governor Oborevwori’s defection, claiming it is for the benefit of Delta State’s people. “I and our colleagues in the human rights body are solidly behind him,” she stated.
She again accused Ojei of pursuing a hidden agenda aimed at positioning Senator Ned Nwoko for the governorship, dismissing the possibility of this happening. “We know all your plans. It is for Senator Ned Nwoko to become the Governor of the state but that won’t happen now because the person that will take over from Governor Oborevwori after his eight years will come from Delta South. We are rotating the governorship seat according to senatorial zones,” Shalokpe explained.
Shalokpe claimed to be aware of Ojei’s alleged secret meetings and plans, including a supposed promise of a Commissioner position from Ned Nwoko. “You see that your Delta Alliance, what they do? You see that your secret meetings. I am aware and get all the information about your plots,” she warned. “The agenda and the network. I am telling you, it will not work at any point, at any time and at anywhere.”
She vowed to counter any protest or action by Ojei and his associates. “I will state that if you come out to protest, we will come out to protest against you. If you come out in any way, I will come out in anyway,” Shalokpe asserted.
Shalokpe urged the public to be discerning and not be misled by activists she believes are driven by personal interests rather than genuine public service.