Edwin Clark’s politics of hate
Ikechukwu Amaechi

I must confess right from the outset that Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark once saved my life. But I must quickly add that he effectively and consciously fanned the embers of the crisis that nearly claimed my life.

As the Features Editor of a newspaper called The Diet (which is now defunct), I went to Warri in May 1997 to do a story on the internecine conflict between the Ijaw and Itsekiri. The relocation of the headquarters of the Warri South Local Government, created the previous year by the government of General Sani Abacha, from Ogbe-Ijoh (an Ijaw community) to Ogidigben (an Itsekiri town) ignited the bloody feud.

By the time I got to Warri, Clark had fled the town after his house in the oil city was set ablaze by an irate mob. I spoke to all the parties to the crisis including Justin Rewane, a lawyer and son of the late Chief Alfred Rewane, the Ologbosere of Warri; Chief Benjamin Okumagba, the Otota of Okere Urhobo; Dr. Emmanuel Urhobo; Barrister Fedude Zimughan, among others.

After one week of dodging bullets in the war-torn city, it was time to go, but how could I without talking to Chief Clark? I made enquiries and was told that not only was Kiagbodo far from Warri, the road was also treacherous. I was advised not to bother. But to Kiagbodo I went and I had an interesting interview with him.

One of the stories making the rounds then was that Clark’s Warri house was actually set ablaze by Ijaw youths who were aggrieved by his inability to get them a local government with the money they allegedly contributed for that purpose. Could that be true? I asked him.

He answered with another question. “Do you believe that ijaw youths burnt my house?”

It was not a question of whether I believed or not, I told him. The issue was that some people believed strongly that you were only a victim of your inability to fulfil your promise, I baited him.

It worked. “Yes, that is what the treacherous Itsekiri people are saying. They are the people carrying out that vicious propaganda. The burning of my house was masterminded by the Olu of Warri who has a private army raised out of the money he gets from the oil companies particularly Chevron. My house was not burnt by Ijaw youths. They have no money not to talk of contributing money towards a cause. During this fight for a local government, I provided the funds and the youths were never involved, so they couldn’t have contributed money. Where did they get money? I rather financed most of the facilities in realising the local government.”

It was a quintessential Chief Clark. It was evening when I got back to Warri. Since I was to leave for Lagos the following day, I went straight to the Ogbe-Ijoh market, which had become a war theatre. The story was that the market belonged to the Ijaw before the Itsekiri took it from them. But they used the opportunity of the conflict and their seemingly superior firepower to reclaim the market. Unlike now when photographs could easily be taken even with mobile phones, I had to pay a photographer who ferried me on his motorbike to take pictures of the disputed market which I intended to use in illustrating my story.

At the entrance, we met about five soldiers. They stopped us and I identified myself as a journalist from Lagos and told them my mission. They allowed us to take the pictures but said we should make it snappy and leave the place because it was dangerous. I thanked them. We moved farther down and the photographer brought out his camera from his bag and started snapping. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, emerged dozens of boys, with bloodshot eyes. They surrounded the photographer and myself and asked what we were doing. I told them. They said I was a spy working for their enemies. I told them I was simply doing a story as a journalist. I brought out my ID card and told them that I am from Imo State and had no interest in the conflict other than doing my job as a journalist. They refused to listen to me. The situation was not even helped by the fact that they recognised the photographer as a “local boy.”

The situation was tense and getting increasingly dangerous. They threatened they would kill me if I did not tell them who I was working for. I knew I needed to act fast if I was to get out from that situation alive. That was when Chief Clark came to my rescue unwittingly. I asked my tormentors if a friend of Clark could be an enemy to the Ijaw? They said no. I then asked them why they wanted to lynch me when I was coming from their leader’s house in Kiagbodo. They asked me for a proof. I asked them if they could recognise Clark’s voice on tape. They said yes. I brought out my tape recorder from my pocket and played it for them. They recognised his voice and the palpable tension evaporated instantly. They let us go. It was a close shave.

That was the first and only time I met Clark in person. But I keep tab on his politics, and I must confess again that I have never been a fan of his hate-inspired brand of politics. Ordinarily, as people get older, they are more restrained. Not Chief Clark. In fact, on the contrary, it would seem that age makes him worse. He is a man in a permanent state of war.

His latest victim is Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the former Governor of Delta State who was sacked by the Court of Appeal recently. The Court ordered a rerun poll within 90 days. Clark says that Uduaghan did not win the April 14, 2007 governorship poll. He claims that Uduaghan was imposed on the people by the former Governor, Chief James Ibori, claiming that the “imposition” denied the good people of Delta their inalienable right to choose their Governor.

All these claims may well be true. But the fact remains that by annulling the entire election and ordering a rerun, the court handed Clark a golden opportunity to prove to all Nigerians and indeed the entire world that Uduaghan was not the choice of the people. All he should do is to go out there to remind the people that they did not vote for Uduaghan in 2007. He will then remind them of the person they voted for before their votes were stolen by Ibori. Now that Professor Maurice Iwu is no longer chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); now that Prof Attahiru Jega, the incorruptible umpire is in the saddle, Clark should have been the most confident man. Moreover, Ibori, the man who bewitched the entire people of Delta State in 2007 and imposed his cousin, an Itsekiri, on them as Governor is no longer in power.

Curiously, rather than effortlessly disgracing his political enemies by defeating them, Clark, as he is wont to do, has embarked on a campaign of calumny, mounting pressure on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest Uduaghan on trumped up charge even when the Commission said it does not have any case against him.

Why is Clark afraid to test his popularity and strength at the polls with Uduaghan? How can somebody who calls himself a democrat be so afraid of elections?

Or could it be that the only crime of Uduaghan is that he is Itsekiri and Clark is still fighting the wars of the late 1990s? Only he can tell Nigerians what war he is fighting today, when he controls the levers of power at the centre. If anything, the Ijaw are the new oppressors in the Niger Delta now. Not only is their son the President, they control all the major political appointments held by people from Niger Delta. What else does Clark want?

Even if he thinks that Uduaghan, an Itsekiri, is not fit to govern Delta State because he comes from a minority ethnic group, he should go about it decently. This is a democracy and the only way to acquire power is through the people. Anything else will be anarchy.

The path that Clark and his co-travellers are treading can only lead to anarchy. Those who love him should advise him to retrace his steps because as Justin Rewane admonished him in 1997, if he persists, he will, sooner than later realise that the Ijaw do not have the monopoly of violence, not even in the Niger Delta.





http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=24263

Edwin Clark’s politics of hate
Ikechukwu Amaechi 


Even if he thinks that Uduaghan, an Itsekiri, is not fit to govern Delta State because he comes from a minority ethnic group, he should go about it decently. This is a democracy and the only way to acquire power is through the people. Anything else will be anarchy.

The path that Clark and his co-travellers are treading can only lead to anarchy. Those who love him should advise him to retrace his steps because as Justin Rewane admonished him in 1997, if he persists, he will, sooner than later realise that the Ijaw do not have the monopoly of violence, not even in the Niger Delta.

What could the words in bold mean? I thought the Itsekiri outnumber the Ijaw in Delta state. Or am I missing something? Clark is also from a minority ethnic group, so the wording or the misrepresentation by the author of the write up is unnecessary and strange. His opposition to Uduaghan might be from the 1990s conflicts with Itsekiri but I don't see how that's the same as opposing the Itsekiri because they are a minority.

As for a monopoly on violence, they might not have a monopoly, but does any other group in the Niger Delta have the equivalent of the Egbesu boys?

PhysicsQED:

What could the words in bold mean? I thought the Itsekiri outnumber the Ijaw in Delta state. Or am I missing something? Clark is also from a minority ethnic group, so the wording or the misrepresentation by the author of the write up is unnecessary and strange. His opposition to Uduaghan might be from the 1990s conflicts with Itsekiri but I don't see how that's the same as opposing the Itsekiri because they are a minority.

As for a monopoly on violence, they might not have a monopoly, but does any other group in the Niger Delta have the equivalent of the Egbesu boys?

It isn't only the above. The reporter doesn't even have a clue of where some of the people he interviewed come from or represent, he just rushed to put names to paper (he probably has never even been to Warri). Anybody that is familiar with Warri (whether Urhobo, Ijaw or Itsekiri) would conclude that the report is a highly inacurate sham.

it always very very difficult to read any news that make one happy in Nigeria

@OP,
so far you have failed to present facts, or even evidence whatsover of anything u accuse edwin clarke of.
you have simply made known to us all, your own opinions & prejudices against him. period!

Abagworo:

Clark, as he is wont to do, has embarked on a campaign of calumny, mounting pressure on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest Uduaghan on trumped up charge even when the Commission said it does not have any case against him.

what r these trumped up charges u speak of? (did u neglect to mention or u just forgot?)
I'm not a fan of clarke myself, & i'd like to see some real evidence to accuse him, not some personal vendetta

okeyxyz:

@OP,
so far you have failed to present facts, or even evidence whatsover of anything u accuse edwin clarke of.
you have simply made known to us all, your own opinions & prejudices against him. period!
what r these trumped up charges u speak of? (did u neglect to mention or u just forgot?)
I'm not a fan of clarke myself, & i'd like to see some real evidence to accuse him, not some personal vendetta

I wish the paper columnist is on nairaland to attend to the questions but the little I know is that Clarke is not Uduaghans friend.

One question from me:

Is Itshekiri a minority tribe in Delta state or not?

I need answers from those in the know.

^
yes Itsekiri is a minority. We have 3 minorities, Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri.

Was just passing by when i saw this. Edwin clark is a son of a b. I. C. H dat is seekn relevance in nigerian politics. Dats it. He just wants 2 use hate 2 sell. Even jo knws he's one of d people he gets 2 drop if he wins. Old full!