How Ibori influenced Nigerian politics from prison – Senator Nwaobosi

A serving Nigerian senator, Peter Nwaobosi, has said that even while in a London Prison, former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, still wielded enormous influence in Nigerian politics.
He made the assertion in a video recorded at a welcome party organized for Ibori after his release in London.

Apparently overjoyed by the relief granted his ‘boss’ he showered praises on Ibori, and alluded that the former governor, who regained freedom from prison on Wednesday, enthroned a governor, influenced the emergence of the Senate President, Speaker and placed people in different political positions in the country, even while in prison.

For Nwaobosi, the travail of the former Delta State governor is just but a sign of greater and mightier things to come in his life.

Unfazed by Ibori’s ex-convict toga, he also likened him to some of the great men to emerge from Africa like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Nelson Mandela, who after their prison experience went on to lead their countries.

He said for somebody to go through the tribulation that Ibori went through and everywhere is agog upon his release only shows a sign of great things ahead.

He said “My names are Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, a distinguished senator of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria. “I left Nigeria yesterday because of my boss, James Ibori, he’s my brother, my boss and somebody I very well love. Let me make one point, all of you who are here today, you have come because of James Ibori, there are many people who have been governors and as soon as they left the governorship seat nobody remembers them again.

“There are so many governors and people who serve under them that don’t even remember them again. There are people who have this problem and people will not come when they have this problem. But this is a good man; he is a jolly good fellow. The man that made everybody and nobody made him.

“There are many people who have been governors who have never been opportuned to make their governors, Ibori made his successors, there may never be a governor in Nigeria history again who will seat in prison and make a governor. There may never be a governor in the history of Nigeria who will seat in prison and make senators. Who will seat in the prison and support a Senate President, and there may never be a governor who will seat in prison and make a Speaker, and there may never be a governor who will seat in prison and make the daughter a member of the House of Assembly.

“It is not when you have power that you know your friend, I’m Senator Peter Nwaobosi, one of the respected voices in the National Assembly. I want him (Ibori) to reflect that it is good to be good. And also, it has taught him a lesson about those he thought are his friends when all things were good. It has now given him an opportunity to know whether they are his friends.

“There may never be any Nigerian man who can pass through the tribulation you have passed through today and come out and everybody will be flying, people are killing cow, ram and goat. There is no great leader in Nigerian who has not been in jail, Obasanjo was in jail, Mandela was in jail. It’s a preparation for great thing; I’m a student of history. Who’ll suffer what you have suffered and the whole nation will be celebrating, it’s a sign of a big thing to come”, Nwaobosi declared.

Ibori in his reply simply said he will speak at the right time.

Ibori was accused of stealing US$250 million from the purse of his home state, Delta, where he was governor between 1999 and 2007. He pleaded guilty to ten counts of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud at the Southwark Crown Court, London and was sentenced on April 17, 2012, to 13 years in prison.