The governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa has been described as a betrayer of the Southern political interest and the type of politician never to be trusted by anyone again.
This was the view of an Abuja based lawyer over the emergence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In a chart with a Clariform reporter, an Abuja based lawyer, Barr Zeph Ezechina Onwuzuruike, the Managing Partner of Mandate solicitors bared his mind on what transpired in the choice of the Delta State governor for the slot.
Barr Onwuzulike, a close watcher of political developments in the country, holds the view that the Delta State governor betrayed the South in the popular fight for power shift from the North to the South.
The lawyer who berated Governor Okowa, alleges that “whereas Wike and Udom Emmanuel were fighting for the actualization of the ASABA declaration,” the Delta State governor was instead secretly negotiation for the slot of a running candidate for himself.
Clariform reports that it was Governor Ifeanyi who hosted the first meeting of the Southern governors at the Delta State capital, Asaba where a common position was reached to seek for power shift to the South, by the zooning of both the PDP and APC presidential tickets to the zone.
The lawyer therefore rebukes Dr. Okowa for “surreptitiously scheming to be appointed Vice Presidential candidate to the Northern Oligarchy”, while hosting the Southern governors under the pretense of supporting the fight for power shift to the South.
In his words: “perhaps dishonesty should be added as a subject for political science students. Asaba declaration of the Southern Governors Forum was hosted by Okowa wherein it was resolved that PDP should return power to the South.
“Whereas Wike and Udom Emmanuel were fighting for the actualisation of the ASABA declaration, though against fairness and equity that it should be zoned to South East, Okowa was surreptitiously scheming to be appointed Vice Presidential candidate to the Northern Oligarchy.” Said Barr Onwuzulike.
From spiritual angle, he added, “However, Galatians 6:7 of the Holy Bible said it all, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever one sows, so shall he reap.”
Similarly, a chieftain of the PDP from Edo State, Kassim Afegbua, former spokesperson of the party has also berated Governor Okowa for the same act of betrayal as Barr Onwuzulike.
He said: “Okowa hosted the Asaba declaration where 17 governors of the Southern Nigeria met and took a decision that the presidency should come to the South…Eight of these governors which are from the PDP have also been meeting to support and push this narrative, but surprisingly Dr Okowa midstream took a different turn.
“So we know that within the PDP he supported Atiku Abubakar” and not any of the Southern contestants at the PDP convention.
Going further, he said: “I thought he should have worked continuously in support of that, rather going through the back door to work for a Northern candidate who eventually emerged as the presidential candidate”
Kassim Afegbua made the above disclosures while answering questions on Friday on a Channels Television breakfast program, the Sunrise Daily and monitored by a Clariform reporter.
The former PDP spokesperson said that consequently, he cannot in good conscience support the joint ticket of Atiku and Okowa, no matter the level of underground fence mending process that might happen between now and the February 2023 presidential election.
“I have only one vote, you cannot deny me that vote. I will just use it, whether it is effective or not no problem.
“I like to hold positions that clears my conscience from conflict. I don’t like double standard. I don’t like hypocrisy…I want to please my conscience and that is how I want to be documented in history” said Kassim Afegbua.
