The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has told stakeholders in Niger Delta and Bayelsa State that his ambition is to deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Niger Delta and make his re-election easy in 2027.
He called on stakeholders, particularly in Bayelsa, to stop creating an impression of a rift between him and Governor Douye Diri and work with all the leaders to attract more development to the state.
Ogbuku, in an interview at the weekend, spoke on a wide range of issues such as the commission’s achievements, future projects and the matters that rose when he led a delegation to visit Governor Diri at the Government House in Yenagoa.
Speaking about insinuations in many quarters that he was nursing a governorship ambition, Ogbuku said he was primarily focused on discharging his responsibilities for the development of Niger Delta.
He urged persons already setting up governorship structures for him in Bayelsa to desist and allow him concentrate on his job at the NDDC.
Ogbuku said: “It is laughable. I have heard many calls of people making such insinuations and assumptions. 2027 is very far away from 2024. We are just concluding 2024. Appointment is going to end in November 2027 and I believe that is when the governorship election in Bayelsa will also be holding.
“Now my mandate is four years. I am not driven by an ambition. I am driven by service and loyalty. Right now my loyalty first is to Mr. President and I have not finished the assignment he gave me.
“So, why will I want to abandon this one and be chasing another one? It is an act of disloyalty. I need to conclude what I have in future. The Lord may bring out another opportunity for me that may be bigger than that of being the governor of Bayelsa. I can’t limit my horizon to the governorship of Bayelsa.
“Let me ensure that I finish the service I have now and let me be assessed by the person I am serving. It is only Mr. President and God that will decide where I am going to be.
Speaking about Diri’s remarks on NDDC and partnership with states, Ogbuku clarified that the governor meant no harm, insisting that Diri was misunderstood by some stakeholders in Bayelsa.
He said: “The governor is my friend, my brother and a father. He is a father to everyone in the state and I have had a good relationship with him.”
Credit- The Nation
