The Former President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan, on Saturday, said he consulted with Niger Delta leaders, including the late oil mogul and philanthropist, High Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, after his nomination as the running mate to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in the 2007 presidential race.
Jonathan, who spoke in the Lulu-kiri, Abonnema Local Government Area of Rivers State, during Lulu-Briggs’s funeral, described the deceased as a father, urging his heir, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, to walk in the shoes of his father whom he said came from humble beginnings and became successful.
Though the late billionaire’s widow, Seinye, was noticeably absent, dignitaries from all walks of life from within and outside the country graced the ceremony.
The former president said, “I knew him very well in 2007, when I got involved in national politics; when my party, the Peoples Democratic Party nominated me as the running mate to late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“We needed respected chiefs, politicians and leaders from the Niger Delta region who understood politics to rely on. High Chief OB Lulu-Briggs was one the persons that were recommended and, of course, from the first day we met him, he really helped us.”
