Facts have emerged on how Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa purportedly spent state fortunes to secure the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) against the zoning arrangement for the southern part of Nigeria, to produce the next president in 2023.
Artworks circulating in the internet, specified the amount of money in US and Nigerian currencies the oil rich state governor allegedly doled out to the embattled National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, for the hatchet job.
In one of the artworks, it was alleged that “Okowa gave Ayu, $10 million to lobby northern leaders for the position of the Vice Presidential candidate”.
In another one, it was equally alleged that “Governor Okowa bought a bullet proof G-Wagon Mercedes Benz for Ayu.
Similarly, a third one alleged that “Governor Okowa gave Ayu N500 million to refund the Dasuki Fund he stole during Jonathon’s Campaign in 2015”.
Okowa, has come under attack particularly from the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF), Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF), Afenifere and Ohaneze Ndigbo, who described him (Okowa) as a ‘Pathological Liar and Southern Betrayal”, who ceded the presidential position to another Norther Fulani.
Okowa has also been accused of being inconsistent in the attempt to cover up his alleged excesses, as he has been asked to explain to Nigerians how he allegedly betrayed his southern colleagues and the entire south after they agreed in Asaba, Lagos, Enugu and Abuja that power must shift to the south.
Incidentally, it was in Asaba, the capital city of the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP when all the southern leaders came together led by their governors, by their legislators and by the leaders of their social cultural like the Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
They sat in Asaba and passed a resolution after a lengthy meeting that power should shift to the South and the same went to Lagos and they asserted that position.
The same thing moved to Enugu, and for the third time they asserted that position.
All the key Southern zones did it symbolically, they did it in the South-south, (Asaba), south-west (Lagos) and South-east (Enugu).
And they all converged in Abuja and reiterated that same position. They formed what they called Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum.
And the Southern and Middle Belt Forum, met and passed this resolution as well. So, it is apparent that the south needed the party and all the political parties.
And they said it over and over that the two major political parties or all the parties should zone their presidency to the South.
And that is when PDP ought to have taken that decision and zone the presidency to the south in the interest and protection of its support base and PDP failed to do so.
At press time, calls and text messages sent to the National Chairman of PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and the Chief Press Secretary to the Delta State Governor, Mr. Ifeajika Olisa,for reaction were not replied.
