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The Senator representing Delta North senatorial District at the Nigeria Senate, Barrister Peter Nwaoboshi today, Sunday, 10/6/2018 said the situation at the National Assembly is the stand of legislators of both chambers to resist the emergence of dictatorship in the governance of the nation.
At a media parley, tagged “An evening with Senator Peter Nwaoboshi” at his Asaba residence he said the isuue between the executive and the legislative arm of government is one that borders on resistance against dictatorial tendencies of the executive arm of government.
Pointing out that the nation cannot so soon relapse into dictatorship again, Nwaoboshi said: “What we are doing in the senate is to resist the emergence of dictatorship in Nigeria. We are rising at the voice of the people to say that our democracy must succeed. The democracy of Nigeria is greater that any individual.
“I don’t believe it is Buhari alone that is doing these things. It is those people around who have committed one or two things, who want to entrench themselves. These are the people using his name.”
Urging journalists to show fairness to the legislators in their reportage of issues in the senate, Nwaoboshi stated: “Gentlemen of the press, please be a little bit fair to the legislature because we don’t have the means of coercion, the only thing we have is this our mouth. Because we sincerely believe that if after years of military rule, and we are going to go back again to military regime, where no man has a right to talk, it is our position as the opposition to criticize the government.”
He decried the unfolding drama in which the Senate President is being tainted with allegation that he sponsored armed robbers. For him this is the height of persecution.
Answering a question, he told the story of the genesis of his ordeal in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Senator Nwaoboshi recalled that one day one Kpokpogiri came to him for financial help, and when he sensed that it was to extort money from him, he declined the request.
He said not quite long after that, he received a call that Kpokpogiri and one Fejiro Oliver wanted to see him. That on meeting them, Fejiro Oliver said they wanted him to give them contract. “I said I am a legislator, and I don’t award contract,” Nwaoboshi said.
He said he rebuffed their moves to extort money from him, and they took offence, and thereafter they wrote a petition to the EFCC with allegations against me.
While declining to speak on the on-going EFCC case against him because of it subjudice nature, he called attention to a subsisting court judgment against the EFCC. “And till today, the EFCC has not appealed against this judgment,” the senator said.
Pointing out further that his ordeal was a clear case of persecution for criticizing the Federal Government, and certain positions he took on the floor of the Senate against the the EFCC chairman, he recalled that the EFCC chairman has since confessed that he, Senator Nwaoboshi was one of those who stood against him , and then promised to deal with him.
Speaking on many of his exploits and achievements for his constituency and Delta State in general at the Senate, Chief Nwaoboshi announced that in carry out oversight function, he discovered gas companies operating in Delta state paid the statutory money they were supposed to pay for 17 years. He said it was in the course of carrying out the oversight functions that he got to know and followed up the matter, which culminated in the companies paying first, $29 million dollars, and subsequently another $36 million. And that since he was able to attract such money, he believed that it was not too much to request that something from the amount is used to establish one or two constituency projects in his state and constituency.
Asked what he would want to do for Delta North, Nwaoboshi who called attention to notable legislations to his credit explained that his desire is to see that Anioma improves for the better, and to see better and united Delta State. “I am not one of those who think there will be no friction in Delta state, but that we must continue to do things that will make Delta state a successful state.