Benson Enikuomehin, former commissioner representing Ondo State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), speaks with Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, on his problem with Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his decision to leave the Labour Party (LP) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Benson Enikuomehin
Quitting Ondo Labour Party despite perceived closeness with Governor Olusegun Mimiko
I have no personal issue or grudge with the governor, but I have issues with his administration because my people have been neglected. This government has not done well for my people. I’m now looking somewhere else to better their lot.
So, we are not at war as individuals. But we have divergent political views. Development ought to have taken place in my own part of the world where we have oil being produced. Those things are not taking place. Therefore, I am not happy. If we are to move in two different ways now, I think I prefer it. The way things are going, there is looming disaster. Therefore, we may have to part ways.
Approaching Mimiko on the issue rather than defecting
This world is not a static place. Events that happen would make one person your friend today and tomorrow he may no longer be your friend. In politics, the same thing happens. If you feel that your friend ought to do one thing and he is not doing it, since you are not irrevocably tied to him, you are bound to make some changes.
Suspecting Mimiko to be behind withdrawal from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
The withdrawal of my name from the list had nothing to do with security. I would not know what some people are thinking. I only know the facts at my disposal. Facts are always sacred. On November 8, 2013, I was screened and I succeeded. That was on Friday. On November 12, about noon, my name, together with 13 others, was forwarded to Mr. President. On November 17, which was Sunday, my name and 13 others were looked into. These are facts within my knowledge. On Tuesday, November 19, my name was forwarded to the Senate. Look, before you forward names to the Senate, you must have done security screening. I went for it and I even mentioned to the gentlemen that screened me that some people wrote a petition about me before and the petition went to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which screened and certified me clean.
On November 12, the governor had called me and said the President said he was no longer interested in my name. I asked why? He said because I served in the third governing board of the NDDC that was dissolved. I said that was not enough, and that I was not indicted. The same people we served together on that board were re-nominated. General Tunde Ogbeha was returned to complete his term. If the board was dissolved on fraud, why was Ogbeha returned?
Again, Barr. Joe Jarpah, who represented the oil companies with us then, was returned to complete his tenure. It was the internal trouble among the management that caused the board to be dissolved. In fact, the 37 pages of report written by Steve Oronsaye did not mention corruption and we were not involved. But because there were issues among the management, they said let the whole board go. I told the governor that I was not involved.
Dan Bassey was my colleague on the board. He represented Akwa Ibom State while I represented Ondo. If the president did not want people who served on that board to come, why was Bassey nominated to go back? Do you know the answer I got from Governor Mimiko? He said maybe Mr. President forgot. Mr. President would forget someone who would be MD nominee and would be remembering a part-time board member? Didn’t the curriculum vitae (CV) of Bassey show that he was on that board? Somebody was playing smart.
To worsen the whole story, on November 20, 2013, the President travelled to the United Kingdom, and that was when we were told that he was indisposed. On November 21, the president did not go for the meeting he ought to have attended in the UK. The letter that was said to have been sent to change my name was signed on November 21 when the president was in UK. So, Mr. President signed my name on November 19, forwarded it to the Senate on November 20 and travelled same day to the UK. While he was in UK, he remembered that he ought not to have signed the name of Enikuomehin, that it was a mistake? Why the urgency on November 21? Who signed for Mr. President? Was it when he was indisposed? You add one and one together and see who is playing who.
Reason for falling out with Mimiko
That was not the issue, but something must make you fall out with someone. You messed somebody’s name up and say you will not fall out with that person. After that had happened, I still came back to the party. We were the same family. I even sent text messages to the governor on Christmas Day and on the first day of the year. So, I didn’t lobby for the post. Would a person who was falling out still be sending messages to appreciate him?
Before I began to criticise him, I sent him a text message on how he was running the affairs of the state. That was on Sunday, April 13, 2014. I was not doing my thing for the fun of it. If you talk about falling out, something must have happened. I don’t want to be messed up.
Your aspiration to represent Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency on the platform of LP
By then, I didn’t show interest in it because I didn’t believe in the leadership of the party any longer. I played a card and I got the result I wanted. I told one or two persons then that I would show interest, knowing fully that the information would get to the headship of the party. Strangely enough, as soon as the information got to the leadership of the party, the response was that I should not be allowed, that they had not got out of the problem I caused for them in NDDC. If I were to be interested, I got the answer immediately. As a result, I did not show interest in it.
Next line of action
I am now in the PDP. I was in the PDP before now. In fact, our plan was that if the 2012 governorship election was won by Governor Mimiko, we would all move back to PDP. That was our discussion sometime in June 2012 at Government House and the governor didn’t say no to it.
LP is getting bashing everywhere and I think it is important for me to take a decision which I have taken quickly. It is not because of what I am going to get from PDP. In this state, the party is out of power for six years. I am not asking them to come and offer me anything. But I know that a wise man takes a decision because he looks ahead of time. LP can’t stand the test of time in this state. If the governor leaves office now, who has he groomed to take over from him? You will see what will happen in 2015.