By Gabriel Elozino,
Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate and Delta state candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has accused the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa of increasing the debt profile of the state despite receiving the highest allocation from the federation account.
Omo-Agege stated this on Tuesday when he paid a private visit to the Executive of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) at the home residence of its President General Worldwide, Olorogun Moses Taiga in Okpare, Ughelli South Local Government area of the state.
He also insisted that power rotation remains sacrosanct in Nigeria, just as he said Okowa betrayed the common interest of the entire Southern Nigeria by accepting to be running mate to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He said Okowa was among the governors who agreed that power should be rotated to the south based on the principle of fairness, justice, and equity, pointing out that accepting to be the running mate of a northern candidate was a stab in the back of the south.
“After eight years of the north, the President comes to the south, the VP to the north. After another eight years, the President goes to the north, the VP to the south. It is established. Though not written in the Constitution it has become a convention like we have power rotation here among the three senatorial zones.
“Now, after Buhari’s eight years as President, some of us went to him to know his thoughts about where the Presidency would come from. And the President made it very clear that after his eight years, the next President must come from the South.
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“It didn’t end there. All the Northern governors of APC extraction agreed that it is the turn of the South. Before this decision was taken, our governors in Southern Nigeria met in Asaba. These are governors of different political parties. Okowa was the host, he gave them food and drinks, and they signed an agreement. He read the communique. As he was doing so, he didn’t even allow the ink to dry before he betrayed them.
“And on top of this betrayal, the Okowa-led administration is amassing loans every day. When Governor Uduaghan left office, he left N80 billion in debt obligation and people were shouting. Today, it’s about N400 billion. And if these loans are used for something you can see, nobody will quarrel with that.
“Some people have also said that ‘You are the Deputy Senate President, Buhari has been taking loans’. Yes, I can tell you what those loans are being used for. Those loans are tied to projects. They are tied to the completion of rail projects, Lagos-Ibadan Express Road, Abuja-Kaduna Road, Second Niger Bridge and so on. Which projects here are these loans tied to? The only project we now know that the loans are tied to is the execution of PDP’s 2023 presidential election so that Okowa can emerge as VP”.
Speaking on behalf of the UPU, the apex Urhobo socio-cultural body, its President General Worldwide, Olorogun Moses Taiga lauded the notable projects attracted to the Urhobo nation by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.
He specifically commended him for his successes in attracting the Federal Polytechnic Orogun, the Nigeria Law School, and other viable developmental projects to the Urhobo Nation.
He said posterity will accord the DSP his rightful place in the history of our dear Nation, adding that the entire Urhobo people are proud of him, especially his role in the 2022 Electoral Act which has brought renewed hope to the country’s Electoral Process.
The UPU expressed their gratitude to him and urged him to do more to better the lives of the people, noting that he is eminently qualified for the office he seek as governor and promised to give him their prayers and blessings.
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