Following the announcement of Okowa as the running mate to PDP’s presidential flagbearer, Atiku, Okowa has been warned against using state funds for the PDP campaign.
The warning, which was delivered by the Director, Communications and Media Strategy of the APC Governorship campaign organisation, Ima Niboro, was said to be based on credible intel available to them.
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According to Niboro, “the call became necessary in the light of credible intelligence at its disposal that the 2023 General Election is a PDP conduit pipe to loot the State.”
“The use of taxpayers’ funds and collective resources of Deltans to fund personal political ambitions was unacceptable, callous and inhuman.
“It is sad that on a day the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, approved the immediate payment of outstanding gratuities, pension arrears and death benefits for retirees of Rivers State Public Service, the Delta State House of Assembly approved N25 billion loan for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa allegedly to plant palm trees,”
In his statement, he went further to state that the state assembly had already approved a suspicious N150 billion loan. “barely 49 days after the embattled PDP candidate, Okowa’s yes-man and Speaker of the state Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori or Francis, approved a controversial N150 billion loan.
“We have sufficient grounds to suspect that these loans are being taken to prosecute Atiku’s presidential campaign. We will not stand by and watch Okowa impoverish our people in order to enthrone a man who has nothing to offer Deltans in particular and Nigerians in general.
“If Governor Okowa had devoted half of the time he used in pursuing his Vice Presidential ambition to focus on governance, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
“As of today, the government is owing retirees over seven years of gratuities, pension arrears and death benefits while the state goes on autopilot for Okowa to pursue his personal ambition. Most retirees have resorted to commercial tricycle, popularly called Keke, for survival, some are bedridden, others have resigned to fate or even died while waiting for the present administration to pay their entitlements after 35 years of meritorious service to state and country.”
He called on governor Okowa to emulate some of his colleagues who were carrying out massive projects in their states rather than taking loans and having no tangible results to show.
Source: Punch