PRESS STATEMENT
Our attention have been drawn to a report by one Fidelis Egugbo, dismissing a forgery matter before a court of competent jurisdiction, in this case, the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, the State capital.
The report with the headline: “Delta Guber: Egugbo Punctures Lies Of Gbagi”, is very laughable, as it did not come to us by surprise.
But what is amusing is that, Egugbo, who ordinarily is not an authority could claim to dismiss what lawyers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Monday Onyeme and Sheriff Oborevwori who are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Respondents, fruitlessly tried to stop but failed woefully.
Documents and other admissible evidence have been tendered and admitted at the tribunal by the three-man Justices, headed by Justice H.C Ahuchaogu.
A statement on Monday July 24th 2023, by Kenneth Orusi, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, FNIM, OON, in the March 18th 2023 Election, noted that Gbagi was the Minister of State for Education while Onyeme served as Bursar to NOUN at a point in his life as a civil servant.
Gbagi, a renowned Criminologist, has records of integrity, impeccable character and unbeatable achievements with a midas touch, would not stoop so low to the likes of Onyeme, to cause disaffection and incite Deltans against anybody as the administration of Sheriff Oborevwori, was already built on faulty foundation of multiple forgeries which is before the tribunal.
It should be noted that at the time Gbagi chaired the Panel of Enquiry, which dismissed Onyeme, Gbagi, has no plans of contesting the governorship election in the State at a time like this.
Gbagi had told the tribunal that the election that produced Oborevwori and Onyeme was marred with irregularities, electoral malpractices and non-compliance to the electoral Act 202, for which he has approached the tribunal for justice, a move that falls within his fundamental rights.
It is again, laughable that a man dismissed from the services of NOUN, for forgery, could be described to have “unblemished record”, it is laughable indeed.
To put the records straight, within the nine years, 2006 and 2015, Onyeme, worked at NOUN, he was under Gbagi, at the time he was Minister of State for Education which made it possible for the Panel he chaired to investigate and found Onyeme, wanting of forgery which led to his dismissal.
Egugbo’s writeup, shows that he didn’t do any fact-check to truly know the antecedents of the largest private investor in the State.
Egugbo, a journalist who worked under the State owned print media, The Pointer, and was subsequently appointed Special Adviser, was expected to have carried out a thorough investigation on the unbroken records of Gbagi but hurriedly went to press with wishy-washy report.
At this juncture, may I bring my friend and colleague to speed, it is on record that during his time as education minister, Gbagi created 13 Universities, including Federal University of Lafia and Federal University of Petroleum (FUPRE) here in Delta State.
Others include but not limited to eight Federal Government Colleges,16 Colleges of Education and 14 Polytechnic.
Gbagi rebuilt and equipped the ICT center in Urhobo College, donated N10 million to Government College, Ughelli and as minister of state for Education, rebuilt Federal Government College, Warri.
Though, these schools are not in Olorogun Gbagi’s schedule, he showed commitment aimed at ensuring that they exist and function.
He fought against the relocation of PTI from Warri to Kaduna State.
Recall that there is a gentle minister for Petroleum called Rilwanu Lukman, said the College that was related to petroleum should be relocated.
Thirty-two days after Gbagi became a minister, he founded FUPRE, Federal University of Petroleum Resources in Ugbomro.
Obasanjo gave them N1 billion to them to go and setup a College because they have created the state but there were no document. That was why Rilwanu Lukman was making that statement to say they should relocate the school.
But thank God, 32 days later Gbagi took a memo to council, where he got approval for the Petroleum University to be established.
Speaking on how memos are tagged at the Federal Executive Council, Gbagi said: “If you check the record that created that university, you will not see Kenneth Gbagi, as the owner or person who founded the University including the other 12. In memo to council, you do not put your full names but what you will see there is KOG”, he explained.
These records since he left office as Minister of State for Education, no minister appointed into the ministry have broken Gbagi’s records till date.
It would be recall that Gbagi had told the tribunal that Onyeme, was dismissed after a Panel of Enquiry set up by him found Onyeme wanting of ‘forgery’.
Gbagi, a sole witness and Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the March 18th governorship election in the State told the tribunal during cross examination.
Onyeme, is the 4th Respondent in Gbagi’s petition before the three-man Justices presided over by Justice H C. Ahuchaogu at the loo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the State capital.
Gbagi, a renowned Criminologist, who was cross examined by the counsels to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Respondents, told the tribunal that as a former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he presided over the Panel that dismissed Onyeme.
According to him, “I was a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the 4th Respondent, was my staff at best.
“I was never a staff of the registry, the 4th Respondent was a staff under me.
“I can tell that for forgery and records that are being kept, I presided over the Panel as the minister of the federal Republic of Nigeria, in his dismissal.
“I constituted the panel. The 4th Respondent appeared before my panel.
“The 4th Respondent has several incursions into our lives as a people.
“After he left the National Open University, he came here as a tax collector of our IGR.
“Apart from the dismissal, there is an administrative Enquiry that enquired into his finances and the dismissal, is part of it.
“We terminated his engagement, the reason for him to have abruptly left the University services”.
Gbagi, told the tribunal that he relied on all documents at his disposal, “Whatever I have in evidence, I rely on them”, he insisted.
It would be recall that in Gbagi’s 79 page petition, the Petitioner averred that the “4th Respondent, was dismissed from the employment of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
“The 4th Respondent failed to disclose the fact of his dismissal in his Affidavit Form EC9 deposed to on 29th day of July 2022.
“That the 4th Respondent failed to declare the primary school he attended, neither did he exhibit a certificate to that effect.
“His failure to exhibit the certificate is because of the challenge that, if exhibited, it will not be favorable to him”.
The former Chairman, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, is seeking the tribunal to disqualify Onyeme.