By Austin Ogwuda
Embattled immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has reacted to the current attack against him, attributing it to the handiwork of those he described as ‘failed politicians’.
He maintained that these failed politicians who wanted to succeed him in office were behind the orchestration of the barrage of smear campaign of calumny currently going on.
Recall that Elder statesman Edwin E.K. Clark petitioned the Economic Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to interrogate Okowa over alleged financial impropriety.
This was consequently followed up by protest march in Abuja, by a group of Deltans calling on the anti graft agency to go after Okowa.
They had also been attack from the media as some journalists in the State carpeted him for not extending his ‘parting gift’ to them and vowed to boycott all media coverage concerning him.
But Okowa who spoke through his immediate past Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Mr Charles Aniagwu hit back at news conference in Asaba yesterday.
According to him, “the genesis of what has now become a smear campaign against the person of the immediate past governor is by individuals who have busied themselves with the struggle for the control of the resources of Delta.
“You will recall very well that ahead of the 2023 general elections, there were individuals that have their own candidates in the PDP. They tried as much as possible to see how they can sell their candidates which we consider as their democratic rights.
“We also reason that the management of the resources of the state and the sustenance of the accountability which Okowa introduced as part of his governance principle is something that is paramount so that at the end of the day, the great people of Delta State will have value for the resources that God has blessed us with beneath the soil of our dear state.
“In the course of the build up to the 2023 elections, Deltans, particularly members of the PDP at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, they elected a candidate of their choice and at the end of the day overwhelmingly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori won to become the candidate of the PDP and we all saw what followed.
“Individuals who are involved in this struggle who want to have a grasp of the resources of the state”, he went on, “proceeded to the law court, went to the media invoking lots of campaign of calumny against the then Governor, Sen. Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and cast aspersions against the candidate of the Party (PDP) which is the present governor but Deltans knew where they are coming from just like they said the Egyptians you see today, you will see them no more”.
He added that “these individuals while they were members of the PDP proceeded to pitch tent with the APC, the opposition party in the state, that didn’t work out they went to the extent if you recall in the course of the election even try to ambush the results and some of the electoral officers in some of their local governments and that did not also give them the victory they are looking for because the victory is not in their direction.
“Now the election is won and lost, government is being formed, they have continued with the bitterness of losing that election rather than waiting for the next election which comes up in 2027 they have gone to court though it is within their democratic rights but rather than staying in the court, they went to the media to begin to tell lies which is totally at variance with the reality”, he added.