Seven years after opposing Buhari’s election, Orubebe joins APC

Seven years after he attempted to scuttle the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, as Nigerian leader, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godsday Orubebe, has joined the All Progressives Congress.

According to Leadership Newspaper, Buhari is set to receive Orubebe into the APC in the next few days.

Recall that Orubebe had in apparent loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, on March 31st, 2015, disrupted proceedings at the Independent National Electoral Commission collation centre in Abuja.

He acted to forestall the admission of election results from the states favourable to the emergence of Buhari as president-elect.

Orubebe, was appointed a substantive minister on April 6, 2010, when Jonathan constituted his new cabinet as the acting president.

As a polling agent to Jonathan at the collation centre, he accused then INEC’s chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of taking sides with the main opposition at that time, APC.

But he later apologised to the nation over his conduct, adding that he regretted the action.

However, in a fresh twist, Orubebe on Monday dumped the PDP as a prelude to his formal defection to the ruling party.

It was learnt that Orubebe’s defection was perfected by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Delta State chairman of APC, Engnr. Omeni Sobotie.

Omo-Agege and Sobotie were said to be on the neck of Orubebe to join APC.

Orubebe allegedly opted for APC because the party acted in line with his conviction that power should shift to the southern part of the country after eight-year reign of a northerner.