May 30, (THEWILL) – The PDP governorship primary have come and gone, leaving winners and casualties in its wake. One of the heaviest casualties of the primary, particularly in Delta State is former Minister of State for Education, Senator Kenneth Gbagi. Of the 14 aspirants that contested in the primary, Gbagi was the only one who did not get a single vote. Perhaps he must have had an inkling of what was coming as he allegedly pulled out of the race hours to the primary, after years of preparation, including monetary preparation, to see his dream to govern Delta State come true. The phrase, ‘The dog destined to be missing will never hear the hunter’s whistle,’ aptly applies to Gbagi in this case. He must have been warned by his inner man against making public his governorship ambition, but he waved it away, thinking that his title, as a former minister, or his wealth, which compares to nothing against state resources, would be his saving grace. How wrong he was.
Gbagi must have also thought that the people of Delta State would develop amnesia like him, to quickly forget the inhuman treatment he meted out to his staff once he declared his governorship ambition. Or did he for one minute think that the court dismissing the case in his favour would count for him on the day of judgement which was the primary?
Gbagi once assaulted and dehumanised his workers by allegedly stripping them naked. While he walks about a free man without consequences, his victims still battle trauma two years after the incident. In 2020, he had accused Precious Achibong, Roselyn Okiemute Diaghwarh, Victor Ephraim and Gloria Oguzie, who were working in his Signatious Hotel in Warri, Delta State, of stealing the sum of N50,000. The victims, one of who was a pregnant woman said the money Gbagi accused them of stealing were tips given to them by a customer who had lodged at the hotel. He had allegedly stripped them naked, taken photographs of them and videoed them before handing them over to the police, who detained them for four days and subsequently charged them to court.
This provoked women, girls, and human rights activists to embark on a mass protest across the state to call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Gbagi. The affected workers, with help from some human rights lawyers, instituted a suit against Gbagi in a High Court sitting in Effurun, Delta State. But in September 2021, the court dismissed their suit for lack of merit. Despite this, a criminal proceeding against Gbagi opened at the Federal High Court in Asaba. Although the victims are yet to get justice, on Tuesday May 24, 2022 karma was served almost frozen to Gbagi. Thankfully with his ambition dead now, the people of Delta State won’t have to be afraid of getting stripped naked if they commit any offense.
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