Less than 23 days to the presidential election coming up 25th of this month, Edwin Clarke, chairman of the Southern and Middle-Belt. Leaders Forum (SMBLF), has said the group had vowed to oppose Ifeanyi Okowa”s joint candidature with Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying “we will continue to do so until the Election Day.”
Clarke, who disclosed this in an open letter to Governor Okowa on the state of Niger Delta Affairs,, said their grouse was that Okowa betrayed his southern colleagues by accepting to be Atiku’s running mate against the southern governors’ agreement.
He urged the governor to step down his vice presidential ambition, adding that he would not succeed. “By the grace of God, your prayer will not be answered,” said the elder statesman.
Clarke also tagged Okowa’s administration in Delta State as a reign of corruption, resurrected some allegations against the governor, including the alleged misuse of N250 billion 13percent derivation funds which he said the governor collected from the Federal Government but corruptly misused same for the purpose for which the fund was made available.
“Today, I say with certainty that you are more dictatorial than any other military administrator that has administered Delta State since its creation in 1991.
“I can therefore, understand why you have deliberately and immorally betrayed your colleagues of Southern Nigeria and the people for your own selfish ambition by wanting to land on a safer ground by accepting to serve as running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. No, by God’s grace your prayer will not be answered’,” he said as he reminded the governor of the gravity of the offence he committed against the people of Southern Nigeria.
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“In order to cover your nefarious plot, you voluntarily induced everyone to host a meeting of the 17 Southern Governors in Government House Asaba on Tuesday, 11th May 2021. You gave them a very good reception and provided them a secretariat that drafted the communiqué under your supervision, which was ably read by the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.
“It was indeed a bombshell, as you collectively demanded for Southern Presidency and insisted that none of you should accept to be a Vice President.
“Shortly afterwards, the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), which I lead, gave the governors’ declaration 100percent support and declared that no Southern serving Governor, Legislator or Politician should accept to be running mate, particularly to Atiku Abubakar.
“The 17 Governors later met again in Lagos and Enugu to affirm the decision taken in your Government House Asaba. Little did we know that you were using this to perfect your secret plan to be running mate to Atiku Abubakar from the very beginning.
“We are therefore, not surprised that you directed all the delegates from Delta State not to vote for Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State or Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State who are your neighbours but instead, they voted massively for Atiku Abubakar during the PDP Presidential Primaries last year.
‘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.
“We can now understand the reason why you are never serious with your Chairmanship of the South-South Governors Forum since this will definitely compromise your ambition. You never for one day joined your colleagues to condemn the atrocities being perpetrated against our people particularly the atrocities being committed by the armed AK 47 herdsmen who invaded Uvwheru, Igbuzor, Okpanam, Abraka and very lately Patani. This is because it will annoy your Northern friends,” the letter stated.
In his reaction, Okowa said his excellent performance in Delta justified his nomination as Vice-Presidential Candidate.
In a statement by Charles Aniagwu, Delta State commissioner for information, he said: “First we accord him his due respect as an elder statesman and a respected father in our state, but we state categorically that his letter is not a true reflection of the state of affairs in Delta State as the massive achievements in infrastructural and human capital development recorded in the state in the last seven years are visible to all and sundry.
“On the allegation of unaccountability and dictatorship, it is on record that Governor Okowa has been very accountable to the people as he has always briefed Deltans on the state of affairs in the state. He holds quarterly media interaction with journalists in the state where issues across the state are discussed and questions asked and relevant answers provided.
“The Governor has had cause to relate with the State House of Assembly on all matters concerning the state finances at all times. How can a Governor that ensured full autonomy for the state’s legislature and the judiciary be said to be dictatorial?.
“On the allegation of misuse of N250billion 13percent derivation fund, nothing can be far from the truth because the said fund is being paid in quarterly instalments and as at last record we have only received four instalments totalling N19.6billion.
“Because of the time value of money and inflationary tendencies we decided to discount N100billion. On application to the state House of Assembly, we listed some landmark projects to be completed from the fund and some of them including the Ogheye Floating Market, Koka Flyover and Interchange, Maryam Babangida Leisure Park, Film Village and Zoo, Mother and Child Specialist Hospital and Advanced Diagnostics Medical Centre have been completed, inaugurated and currently operational.
“We are also aware that our leader, Chief Clark has made his own political choice by endorsing a presidential candidate of another political party which we agree and respect as his own fundamental right, but we hold the view that it is not democratically nor constitutionally out of place for other persons to also have right to associate with others which is equally legitimate.
“We are all aware that the country is so divided and the rhetoric that tends to divide the country further along the line of North and South dichotomy cannot do the country any good hence, we urge that persons of all class need not engage in divisive actions or uterances.
“As well meaning Nigerians we expect that senior citizens should promote actions that tend to unite the country and not that which would further divide us.
“The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar won the party’s primary on account of a free and transparent votes of delegates of the party across the country.
“The constitution of our country is very clear that once a Presidential Candidate emerges, he is duty bound to choose a running mate and by tradition from the other side of the country.
“It couldnt have been the right thing to say that we should have rejected the nomination because if we had, other persons would have also accepted it.
“We will continue to respect Chief Clark despite the recent attacks on Governor Okowa and we also put it on record that the highly respected elder statesman had supported us in the past up to 2019 and had cause to commend the Governor for his sterling accomplishments in the state.
“So we will not begrudge him because he has chosen to support someone else this time around.”
