Ex-minister accuses Okowa of threat to life, withdraws from governorship primary

• Gov’s aide debunks allegation

A governorship aspirant in Delta State and former Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi, has withdrawn from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary, after accusing Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of threatening his life and bribing delegates.

Gbagi also accused Okowa of sending his Chief Security Officer (CSO) to harass him out of a meeting of delegates at Government House and bribing delegates ahead of the PDP governorship primary to ensure his preferred candidate emerges.

In a four-page petition addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, with copies forwarded to the national legal adviser, the state chairman and other stakeholders, Gbagi stated how he honoured a delegates meeting in Asaba called by Okowa, only for Okowa’s CSO to deny him access to the venue.

In the petition, titled: “Threat to Life, Anti-democratic Conduct by His Excellency Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta at Government House, Asaba,” dated May 23, 2022, Gbagi said he was pulling out of the primary as Okowa could not keep to his promise of providing a level-playing field for all candidates.

The petition reads: “On arriving at the Government House, Asaba, the venue of the meeting, I was surprised to be accosted by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Ovie Agas, who pleaded with me that he was asked by His Excellency to ensure that I and several other persons were not allowed into the venue.

He also accused the governor of openly offering inducement of about N1 million to delegates to vote for Sherrif Oborevwori.

Following his allegations, he declared: “I hereby withdraw my participation in the primary since Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, contrary to all his promises and pledges that there will be a free, fair and level-playing field is untrue since he has pre-determined the primary election.”

BUT the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, while dismissing the allegations, insisted that Okowa had not interfered and will not interfere with the process, but has provided a level-playing field to all aspirants, as he had earlier promised, since it started on Sunday.

He wondered why Gbagi, who as an ad hoc delegate, must have participated in the primaries for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate, which have been free and fair across the state, suddenly realise that Okowa was interfering in the process and chickened out of the governorship race.

Ifeajika urged the former minister to tell the people why he actually withdrew from the contest, even though it is his right to do, wondering what makes him (Gbagi) feel today’s exercise will be different.