Delta APC blasts Okowa over N71billion supplementary budget

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lambasted Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as having no basic moral rectitude following his recent plans to request the approval of the State House of Assembly of N71 billion supplementary budget, less than 13 days to the end of his second tenure.

In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, Esq, the party expressed shock at the request by the outgoing governor, describing it as the height of moral bankruptcy and wickedness against Deltans.

While condemning the State Governor for having secured a third term agenda by imposing his surrogate Sheriff Oborevwori as the next governor through political subterfuge, the party noted that the present request by Okowa amounts to adding insult to injury with the request of such humongous amount.

“The attention of the Delta State APC has been drawn to several media publications concerning the recent request by the State Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa seeking approval for a supplementary budget of N71 billion by the State House of Assembly.

“The APC considers this request by the State Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa seeking parliamentary approval for a supplementary budget of N71 billion as the height of moral bankruptcy and wickedness by this administration against the people of Delta State. Not satisfied with securing a third term agenda through the installation of his surrogate Sheriff Oborevwori with questionable character as Governor of the State against the popular wish of the people, he has now brazenly decided to add salt to injury by seeking to obtain such humongous amount of money as a parting gift to the people of the State.”

“While the people of Delta State are yet to come to terms with the news of the lavish multi billion naira retirement package recently approved for him by the same State House of Assembly as a soon to be former governor of the State, this has done little or nothing to satiate his unquenchable thirst for filthy lucre, as he has now applied for another

N71 billion with the resultant effect of driving the economy of the State further into the cauldron of bad debts and underdevelopment. This request by the State Governor is a confirmation of the fact that the State Governor suffers from a severe case of moral deficiency syndrome.

“The APC, like every sane Deltan, finds this request shocking to say the least that a governor who has less than 2 weeks to the end of his tenure, will be asking for such an amount of money. It is highly unfortunate and smacked of sinister motives and given the track record of this administration for such shenanigans, we in the APC are not surprised by this latest attempt to further impoverish the people of Delta State”.

The statement called on financial institutions not to allow themselves to be used as conduit pipes for Okowa to allegedly continue siphoning the state resources, adding that the APC Governorship candidate in the State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege had continued to warn against connivance with the governor in obtaining unwanted loans.

“The Delta State APC would want to seize this opportunity to further remind financial institutions not to allow themselves to be used as a conduit pipe of siphoning resources of the State and also to reiterate its earlier warnings issued by our gubernatorial candidate HE Sen Ovie Omo-Agege CFR that such loans would not be honoured by the APC administration.

“The Delta State APC notes with grave concern particularly with regards to the well being and economic health of the State, that in this electoral circle only, the Okowa PDP administration has gotten approval for such suspected loans that have been used for other ulterior motives other than the purpose for which it was actually obtained.

“It is no longer a secret to the people of Delta State that just within this electoral circle alone, the State Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa had surreptitiously secured these loans which has been expended in a nebulous and clandestine manner with nothing to show for it and with this present request to approve another fresh 71 billion, it is reasonably safe to surmise that it is only intended for some other unsavoury expenditures that is obviously inimical to the beneficial interest of the people of Delta State,” it added.