EFCC Invitation: Okowa challenges critics to controvert response

Immediate Past Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has challenged critics and sponsors of petitions before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, “EFCC” against him to controvert his response on the matter.

Okowa gave the charge when the leadership of Delta State Traditional Rulers Council led by the Chairman, Maj.-Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (retd), Orodje of Okpe, Orhue I, visited him on solidarity at his residence in Asaba on Thursday.

He said that the information put in the petition and the media by his traducers were malicious, mischievous, and politically-motivated.

According to him, in politics, there are all kinds of things that you go through, but it’s just unfortunate that the news that was communicated to the media was not reasonable enough.

“There are certain things that you see that are probably imaginable, but there are things you see and they are unintelligent lies, because alleging that somebody misappropriated N1.3 trillion is ridiculous.

“The implication of that is that the person will have to take a minimum of N16 to N20 billion every month for 96 months.

“So it’s not just unreasonable but unfortunate because this kind of thing has been prepared. I was outside the country for 30 days and I saw when someone wrote that I was detained for three days and I had not even been invited then; so, you can see that grounds were prepared for the propaganda they released.

“As for the EFCC investigation, I am not afraid of any investigation, neither will I stop the EFCC from carrying out their investigations because they must do their work.

“Some governors will go to court to stop them, but I will not stop them because they are doing their normal duties. But, the important thing is that the right communication must be put to the public.

“Unfortunately, some individuals were able to sway a section of the media to send the wrong communication out there,” the former governor said.

He disclosed that he answered the questions EFCC officials asked him, saying “and, I believe that they themselves will know that those things were obvious lies because the information that was put there is not the same with the petition before the EFCC. So, it’s just politics.

“I know it’s just politics because I know all the angles that it came from. But, this will not deter me from doing what I can do, and I thank God for Delta State. With the collective support of everybody, we were able to do the best that we did for the state.

“It is for us to continue to stay focused as a state. It is not possible for everybody in the state to think in the same manners, but it is up to them to communicate the right thing out there rather than lying to the public.”

Okowa said that his administration in the state performed what had been acknowledged as great in and outside the state.

According to him, we may not have made a lot of noise but we can beat our chest that with the advise of our fathers, like you, and with the collective support of the people of Delta State, a lot was done and I thank God.

“Some people may have grudges, but it is up to them to communicate in the right manners rather than lying to the public because there is nothing hidden.

“The audited accounts of the State is a process that goes through the House of Assembly, and the figures are out there for every year.

“They have done lots of investigations on what we have done in the state and I am sure they are impressed with what they have seen.

“All the projects that we did are all there, they have come to check all the projects and just two days ago the Commissioner for Higher Education was here and he was telling me the progress made so far in the three new universities.

READ ALSO: EFCC never established any fraudulent case against me – Okowa