Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi has a mission to accomplish in Delta State. As a man of destiny who the pendulum swing towards, he is ever mindful of the purpose for which he is coming to govern the state come 2023.
With 2023 governorship race gathering more momentum and as common in the political terrain, several despicable plots by disgruntled and unscrupulous elements to blackmail the former Minister of State for Education have been uncovered
The crafty conspiracies was to tarnish the sterling qualities and high rating of Delta’s foremost governorship aspirant, industrialist, and ex-Chairman, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria in the eyes of Deltans, colleagues and associates within and outside the country.
Gbagi has demonstrated exemplary leadership both as former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and party man that evil moves to blackmail him to score egotistical and cut-rate political points hit the rock sooner that visualized.
First was the widespread tales by political gangsters, years ago, that Gbagi harbored Lions in his Warri compound. It was all naked lies to damage his image politically.
Yet another but very deadly gossip came last year that the criminologist purportedly stripped four staff working at Signatious Hotel belonging to him over alleged theft.
While trying to rest his nerves after the tales of breeding Lion in his compound and stripping staff, reports came that women lawyers under the auspices of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in the state were prompted to drag his soaring image to the mud.
The group planned protests, April 14, 2021 in Asaba and Warri to hoodwink Deltans after the aborted plans by the former Attorney General of the State, Peter Mrakpor, SAN, who issued a fake warrant to arrest Gbagi failed.
Reacting to the slur campaign at the time, Gbagi, said: “I am not unmindful of the fact that people, especially interested parties, would engage in political gimmicks to score cheap popularity. It is, therefore, not surprising that FIDA could offer them the platform for such venture to smear my good image.”
“I, therefore, call on the government of Delta State to rein in these agents of backwardness, (should it not be an accomplice) to forestall any form of face-off that might lead to breakdown of law and order.
“I also appeal to my teeming supporters and the generality of Deltans to disregard any form of lies, as they are the handiwork of my political adversaries”, he added.
However, on July 26, a Delta High Court sitting in Effurun, dismissed fundamental rights suit, with registration No. EHC/FHR/79/2020 by Okiemute Diaghwarhe against Olorogun Gbagi, thereby putting the alleged stripping case to an end.
Delivering judgment, presiding Judge, Justice Emmanuel Z. Dolor, said the suit lacked merit, and could not hold water.The judge stated that as frequently happens in some human rights cases, applicant succumbed to the temptation to be dramatic and sensational, adding that it would appear that she was in so much hurry to go to court that she failed to watch her back or do her homework well.
“For a three billion naira suit, methinks the applicant did too little and should have been more painstaking, more clinical and intentional in her approach to the case; after all, time does not really run against an intending applicant in fundamental rights actions…
“In the light of the foregoing, the substantive issue for determination which I set out to resolve at the outset of this judgment shall be resolved against the applicant, and it is hereby so resolved, because I specifically find out that none of the applicant’s fundamental rights has been, is being or is likely to be infringed upon by any of the respondents, and I so hold.
“The application filed by the applicant for the enforcement of her fundamental rights is hereby dismissed for lack of merit,” he sounded.
Meanwhile, one more rumor that the most prominent gubernatorial hopeful do not pay salaries of his workers. But Gbagi nailed the propaganda to the counter on a live and phone in programme on Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), Asaba, October 2021, where he vowed to gift N10 million to anybody that could prove that he legitimately worked for him and was not paid.
Until date, going to four months after the challenge, the rumour mongers have not produced any person to justify the lie and no supposed worker has offered proof to the contrary
Gbagi, who has begun to open his black box for Deltans has much on his brain box to offer. One of his biggest plans for Deltans is one million housing units for the people in one year and four million housing units in four years. He has a dream of making life attractive for all residents.
If given the opportunity to govern Delta in 2023, the state undoubtedly will be heading for the much trumpeted industrialization. As the industrialist informed, he had completed discussion with his development partners outside the country who will invest in the housing units for Deltans. To him, what is important in governance is confidence. He believes that when investors have confidence in a government, investment would flow in with ease.
Like the proverbial animal that continues grazing food even when the enemy is firing salvos at it, Gbagi seemed to have developed a thick skin over slur campaign against him. He told teeming followers, recently, at Oginibo, his country home in Ughelli south local government area of the state, that he was prepared and expecting more lies against him. He added that he would not be surprised if people are recruited to dump corpse(s) in his compound overnight and spread fake news that he is a ritualist.
