Delta APC applauds Okowa’s arrest

Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday described the arrest of the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, by EFCC “as the right step in the right direction.”

Dr. Okowa was arrested by EFCC on Monday in connection with allegations of corruption and mismanagement of N3.1 trillion during his tenure as Governor of the State.

The party, In a statement by Valentine Onojeghuo, its State Publicity Secretary, and made available to The Guardian in Asaba Tuesday, said Okowa’s arrest by EFCC marks a significant development in the ongoing efforts to combat corruption and ensure accountability and good governance in the country, particularly Delta State.

It read: “The administration of Dr. Okowa, who served as Governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023, is one of unmitigated disaster to befall the State since its inception, as it witnessed mass looting of State resources and other corrupt practices that have left the state’s economy in a perilous state.

“It is therefore commendable to know that these allegations of financial recklessness, which have long been a source of concern for the people of Delta State, are now being thoroughly investigated by the EFCC.

“We in the APC wholeheartedly welcome the news of the arrest of the former governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who supervised one of the worst cases of financial recklessness and mismanagement on a monumental scale hitherto unheard of during his eight years of administration.

“His cancerous corruption practices saw the diversion of humongous funds of the State for establishing a bank and politically financing his doomed presidential ambition, as well as the manipulative imposition of his puppet godson as governor against the wishes of the people of Delta State who desperately wanted a change,” the statement said.

The state APC therefore condemned in strong terms the corruption, especially by public officials who are entrusted with the resources and welfare of the people, saying the arrest would serve as a reminder that no one is above the law and that accountability should be demanded from all public office holders, irrespective of their political affiliations or status.

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The APC further noted that despite receiving huge allocations from the Federal Government, the administration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa was ingloriously famous for excessive borrowing, shrouded in secrecy that was obviously inimical to the financial well-being of the State.

It stated that the only legacy of Okowa’s administration was that he left the State with the highest debt profile via his shameless and unbridled borrowing spree even up to the eve of his exit from government, which earned him the notorious sobriquet of ‘Borrow Borrow Governor.’

“The few substandard roads that he managed to construct as the ‘road master’ have all been washed away by the rains, leaving collapsed infrastructures, high unemployment, and widespread poverty in the State as sentinels of a failed government.

“As a Party, we call on the EFCC to continue its thorough investigation not just into Dr. Okowa’s alleged activities while in office, but also into other public office holders in the State who are engaged in corrupt practices and ensure that justice is served.

“The people of Delta State deserve to know the full extent of any mismanagement or diversion of state resources, and the APC will continue to support all lawful measures to address these concerns.

“We urge the EFCC to expedite its investigation and bring all culprits to book in order to restore public trust in the governance of Delta State,” the statement advised.