Okowa In Trouble
OpenLife Nigeria reports that Delta state Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who doubles as the presidential running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on the joint presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the February 25 election, is in trouble.
He has been accused of using money belonging to Delta people to fund his campaign with Atiku.
The accusation came from former Federal Commissioner for Information and South South Leader, Chief Edwin Clark who has asked Okowa to resign from being the running mate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
As of June 30, 2022, Delta State was among the States in Nigeria with the highest domestic debt figures. The debt stock of Delta State skyrocketed from N163,478,454,259.54 in March 2022 to N378,878,236,830.76 in June, representing over 100 percent increase within three months.
Probably jolted by this discouraging development, Clark, the Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF and Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, in a letter dated February 2, 2023, addressed to Governor Okowa, said that the Governor and Atiku will not win the presidency on joint ticket.
While addressing journalists on Wednesday at his Asokoro residence in Abuja, Clark noted that Okowa went contrary to the resolutions of southern governors and other stakeholders that no politician from the South should accept to be running mate to a northerner and particularly, Atiku Abubakar.
The letter reads in part: “It would be recalled in 2007, that Delta State finances were used in funding part of the election of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua through the directive of President Olusegun Obasanjo. We were therefore not surprised when you too have decided to finance Atiku Abubakar with Delta People’s money because; there is nobody to challenge you. I repeat, you will not succeed.
“It is therefore in your own interest to openly apologise to your colleagues of both APC and PDP whom you deceived in taking a decision you never believed in. After your unreserved apology to your people and Southern Nigeria, you should step down your ambition of becoming Vice-Presidential candidate of the PDP. There your honour lies.”
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