Chief Edwin Clark

Chuks Okocha

Elder statesman and leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, Wednesday fired back at his critics, saying that at the age of 85 years, he is not seek for relevance, cheap publicity or money, rather, he will continue to say the truth in the overall interest of the country.

He spoke in Abuja when the Delta North group under the umbrella of Anioma Agenda came to seek his support for the 2015 governorship election in the state.

He told the group to seek and fight for their rights to produce the next governor of the state since two other senatorial districts have produced the governors of the state for two consecutive times of eight years each.

According to Clark who was responding to comments by Dr. Junaid Mohammed of the Northern Professionals and national chairman of the Peoples Salvation Party (PSP)  who accused him of seeking cheap publicity, relevance and money, he said, “ At 85 years of age, I am not seeking for relevance, money or cheap publicity. When I was seeking for relevance and money, they were not born yet.”

“In my life so far, I have played a role. I was once an activist, a senator, a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, several times commissioner in old Midwest Region and old Bendel State. I was a member of the Zikist movement as a student in London.

“Those that accuse me of seeking relevance and money are cowards. I am a patriot. I am not speaking on the state of the nation because President Goodluck Jonathan is an Ijaw man, if another president from any of the zones is being harassed, cajoled or intimidated, I will speak out. I am not a child of relevance. I have seen it all,” he stated.

The elder statesman, who blamed some of the problems affecting Nigeria on absence of justice and equity, reiterated the unity of Nigeria, stating that what is needed at this moment in the country is unity, brotherhood and love.

Speaking on the request for support by the Anioma Agenda that the next governor of Delta should come from the Delta North senatorial district, since the two other senatorial zones have produced the governor of the state, Clark urged them to fight seriously for their right.

He called on the Anioma Agenda to embark on consensus building, so as to bring a popular governorship candidate that would be accepted by all the people of the state, stating, “the three senatorial zones of Delta State are separable. There is need for understanding and support from other senatorial zones”, adding, “if other senatorial zones had their chances, there is no way that you cannot have it.”

However, he reiterated that power belongs to God and urge the group to support whosoever God chooses in the emerging power game in 2015.

Earlier, the leader of the group, Alex Onwuadiamu, told Clark that they came to solicit his support for Delta North to produce the next governor of Delta State, after the Delta Central and Delta South have produced the governor of the state for eight years respectively by 2015.