President Jonathan Won’t Resort To Jungle Justice To Fight Corruption, Governor Uduaghan Says

Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has defended the method adopted by President Goodluck Jonathan in the fight against corruption in the country, saying he is being criticised because he has not been using jungle justice.
“Because the President has not used the jungle justice style, some people are criticising him.”
Governor Uduaghan who was answering questions  on a live programme (Sunrise), Channels Television, was not comfortable with people who condemned the President on the basis of his speech in Lagos, Thursday on how he would fight corruption if he is voted back for second term.
“We should not just pick the speech of yesterday and think that is the beginning
and end of the campaign.
“The list of those who have been successfully prosecuted (for corruption) will be released.
“I can tell you that the President is fighting corruption. This administration has its own way of fighting corruption.
“We should not do it the jungle justice way: working from the answer to the question, holding press conferences on a person who has not been proven guilty.
“Investigation can go on for 10 years. It should be thoroughly done. We just have to be patient.”
Governor Uduaghan disclosed that many names associated with oil theft have been compiled but said: “I can’t come here now and be reading out (those) names. That is not good at all.”
On his jettisoned Senatorial bid, Dr. Uduaghan said that he sacrificed his ambition for peace to reign in Delta state, adding that the peace of the South-South state is greater than his personal ambition.
Uduaghan, a medical doctor, succeeded former Governor James Ibori on May 29, 2007. He will hand over on May 29, 2015.
A few days to the primaries, he suddenly announced that he was no longer interested in the senatorial race, paving the way for Senator James Manager to recontest and return to the upper chamber on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Uduaghan was sure that if he had insisted on picking the party’s ticket to go to the Senate, it would lead to electoral violence.
“Knowing what I know about Delta State, I took the decision to sacrifice my personal ambition. Whatever will destroy the peace of my state, I won’t be party to it.
“Some people will not think like that. They will always think of their interests first before that of their state or country.  We should not be thinking like that.
“As a governor, I want to leave Delta State better than I met it.”
On defection by some PDP members to other parties, Uduaghan said such action will not affect the chances of the party to win the presidential election and governorship seats.
“People who move from PDP to other parties are impatient. In those other parties, they will also be impatient. They don’t want to be part of the development of our party.
“Every primary has its own challenges. But there are structures to deal with challenges.
“I am happy the national leadership of our party is about to deal with the challenges of the primaries. A special team has been set up to deal with that. It also happened in Delta State.
“About two of them have moved to other parties because they are desperate.”
On the presidential election, Uduaghan called on candidates to also think of the country first before their individual ambitions.
“Various stakeholders should sit down and look at the interest of the country. In 2011, there was violence in some parts of the country. If you had contested before and people died, why do you still want to contest?
“We don’t want violence this time around and violence will be stopped if all stakeholders agree that Nigeria is greater than individual ambition.” [myad]