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| Chief Edwin Clark |
By Tobi Soniyi
The sour relationship between the Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Godsday Peter Orubebe and his political god father Chief Edwin Clark
took another turn Friday as a faction of
the Delta State elders of the Peoples Democratic Party dragged Clark and his
company (Panama Construction) to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
alleging failed execution of contracts worth billions of naira.
While calling on the commission to investigate the matter,
the group led by Chief Alex Ikpeazu (State Secretary) had after a peaceful
protest at the Abuja premises of the anti-graft agency, forwarded a petition to
the commission alleging that various contracts were abandoned by Clark’s
company after collecting the necessary mobilization fees from government.
In the petition dated June 22, 2013 and addressed to EFCC's
chairman, Ibrahim Larmode, the petitioners alleged: "Panama Construction
Company located at 5 Swamp Road Warri and owned by Chief Edwin Clark
characteristically abandoned the N1.4 billion Reclamation/Shore Protection job at
Amazama, Rivers State given to it by the Ministry of Niger Delta even though
they have been heavily mobilized to the tune of N215 million on December 31,
2011.
"Similarly, Panama Construction Ltd, was awarded a 10.3
km Aladja-Isaba Road Project in Delta State in 2006 for N595 million and
surprisingly seven years after, no meaningful job had been done and as at June
3, 2013, Chief Clark is asking for further variation to drag the value of the
project he has since abandoned to over N1 billion.
"In one of his recent letters to Delta State governor,
Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief Clark raised sentiment about similar projects
abandoned by other discredited Delta leaders, who succeeded in blackmailing the
government to abnormally inflate the values of their contracts to over N1
billion."
Other members of the forum who endorsed the petition include
Chief Edem Onah-Ndokwa (Community leader); Chief Joe Utomi (former Chairman,
Aniocha South LGA); Chief Toni Uti (former Chairman, Ndokwa East); Chief
Chukwuma Dafe; Mr. Jeff Azagba (former Chairman, Ndokwa West) and Madam Bridget
Ugbebor.
The rest are Chief J.M.O Orido; Chief T.A Oduaran; Dr.
Mallam Obi (former state Chairman of PDP Delta State); Chief Bosin Ebikeme
(pioneer Commissioner for Transport, Delta State); Chief Sunny Omatseye (former
Chiarman, Warri South) and Ekenwan Akwagbe respectively.
Yesterday’s petition which is a counter to an earlier one
filed against the minister by a faction of the forum loyal to the former
Information Minister urged the commission to discountenance all the allegations
raised against Orubebe in that petition on the grounds that they were unfounded
and borne out of malice.
The earlier petition reads in part: "That the decision
of a very few persons from the E.K Clark-led faction to tarnish Orubebe’s image
at all cost, has further factionalized the forum to the extent that we have now
decided to tell the world the truth and origin of Orubebe’s relentless
attack."
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