Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, has denied signing any new law, approving pensions for ex-governors, the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has said.
The state spokesman, who briefed journalists on Monday April 18th 2023, in Asaba, the State capital, said pointedly that it was untrue that the governor appended his signature on a fresh law as pensions for former governors.
This is as the State image maker, urged Deltans to disregard the political gimmicks orchestrated by some unscrupulous elements who are hell-bent on discrediting the workaholic administration of the incumbent governor.
He said the governor could not have signed a new law, disclosing that the pension law for Ex-Governors have been in place in the state since 2005.
He recall that it was in 2019, the State House of Assembly by way of amendment of the existing law, added, Prince Sam Obi, who was an acting governor in November and January 10th and 11th 2011 respectively.
The Information Commissioner, who has deep knowledge of the workings of the State government, put up a challenge to the peddlers of the beer parlour rumour to show facts just as he called on Deltans to ignore the “social media campaign of calumny”.
He noted that all that the governor has done, were done in the open as there was nothing secret since the state governor assumed office in May 29th 2015.
Hear him: “The Assembly sits in the open, deliberates on both first, second and third readings on any of the Bills before they are passed in the full glare of the media and members of the public.
“Before the governor assents to any Bill we do invite the media to brief them as to the import of such law and all of you are aware that Okowa did not sign any new law with respect to Governor’s pension.
“We did not sign any new law. What we have is an existing law that has been there before now. But just because they just want to talk and get at us, they are pushing it in the social media to make it look as if we are signing in new law to get home with new benefits and all that.
“Let them tell you the date the law was signed, they should also tell us when the House of Assembly considered the law and what was the debate like, and they should also tell us the people present when the law was allegedly signed.
“They know the truth but they just want to tell stories that are very much at variance with realities,” he said.
The Information Commissioner commended journalists in the state for their objective reporting of activities of the state government, urging them to continue extending same hand of fellowship to the incoming administration.
“Deltans believed that Sheriff Oborevwori is a man that has what it takes to do more and sustain the legacies of Okowa and that it was time to reward the PDP administration and so they voted massively for Oborevwori.
“For those who lost we have extended the olive branch to them to join us in building a much more stronger Delta but instead of doing that they have started telling stories to diminish the hard earned reputation of this administration and especially that of our governor.”
