Elder statesman and activist has branded Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa a traitor, stressing that his prayer to become the vice-president of Nigeria would never be answered by God. Chief Clark a former information minister in the first republic in an open letter accused Okowa of betraying the people of Southern Nigeria by agreeing to become Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2023 elections. This was after reaching a consensus with other southern governors to push for a President from the region. He threatened to sue Okowa in court, if he failed to give an account of N250b 13 percent derivation fund paid by the Federal government. Clark writes in the letter titled, ‘Your dictatorial government and the reign of unaccountability in Delta State:’ “Your Excellency, my letter will definitely come to you as a surprise because of my unusual silence over your nearly eight years of governance in Delta State. “But my unusual silence does not mean I have kept a blind eye over some corruption and misuse of power by you. “This is particularly, in regard to my activities during your predecessor’s reign where I openly criticised them, and I was tagged as a troublemaker by my detractors; hence I did not act for some time during your administration. “It is my intention, therefore, to release some of this ugly information to Delta State people by your lack of sincerity, lack of honesty, and lack of transparent administration. This is especially as the Delta people are scared of you and unable to speak out against your government. “Most of them have been reduced to mere robots either because of self-interest or personal patronage or the allowances they receive from the government. “I am indeed very sad that some of our leaders from the State who betrayed us in Abuja during Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s presidential primaries in 2010/2011 have relocated to Delta State to perpetuate their evil design again. Let them be warned, otherwise, they will be exposed. “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 safer ground by accepting to serve as running mate to Atiku Abubakar. “No, by God’s grace, your prayer will not be answered. Perhaps, you have forgotten the gravity of the offence you have committed against the people of Southern Nigeria. “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, May 11, 2021. “You gave them a very good reception and provided them with 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 the Southern Presidency and insisted that none of you should accept to be a Vice President. “Shortly afterwards, the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum, which I lead, gave the governor’s declaration 100 per cent support and declared that no Southern serving governors, legislators or politicians should accept to be running mate, particularly to Atiku Abubakar. “The 17 Governors later met again in Lagos and Enugu states 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 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 a 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. “However, the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum have resolved to oppose your joint candidature with Atiku Abubakar and this we will continue to do until election day.” “Meanwhile, I have decided to concentrate on the misuse of about N250 billion 13 percent derivation fund which you collected from the Federal Government and corruptly misused by your administration for the purpose of which the fund was made available for…” “I wish to refresh your memory on the official figure issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria on the buck payment approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, which your colleague of River State, Nyesom Wike publicly admitted to your annoyance. “You have between now and May 29 2023, to give your report to the people of Delta State as per how this huge amount of money was being spent by you to your people, otherwise, we will end up in the Law Court.”
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