Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
A Group, Delta Central for Integrity and Good Governance (DCIGG) has called on the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to investigate the alleged payment of $3 million by the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to lobby for the Vice President slot of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.
According to the group, the alleged $3million is the monies of the Delta people being diverted to intensify the lobbying of senior PDP officials including the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu and General Aliyu Gusau.
The group alleged that the Delta Governor,Ifeanyi Okowa paid $1million to the PDP National Chairman, Iorchia Ayu and $2million to General Aliyu Gusau.
The money is meant to influence key decision makers who Alh. Atiku Abubakar and his team may likely consult before arriving at a concrete and acceptable person.
It was gathered that while the PDP chair Ayu is supposed to use part of the $1million to lobby members of the inner circle of the NWC, Gusau is expected to use part of the $2million to lobby Northern elders.
The DCIGG, in a statement issued via electronic mail and signed by Comrade Stanley Oshiovorie, called on the EFCC to save the people of Delta State and recover the $3million being shared among PDP leaders in the name of allocating VP slot to the Delta State Governor,Ifeanyi Okowa.” It is Delta people’s money and it must be recovered. Instead of using our state money for development, they are using it for the highest bidder.”
“The money was part of the cash set aside by Okowa to use for his earlier planned presidential ambition after he decided not to run for the Senate. Okowa recently boasted that only God can stop him from becoming Atiku’s running mate.”
It was also gathered that the speedy disbursement of the money is already generating bad public opinion against the PDP, Atiku Abubakar and Gov. Okowa in the Niger Delta region.” With these developments, Atiku Abubakar may lose the Niger Delta votes. He can not expect to sell a VP slot to the highest bidder.” The statement reads.
