There Are No Problems With Okowa’s Appointments – Ikimi

Insinuations of prejudice in the appointments recently made by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State were on Tuesday rebuffed by the Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged, CENTREP in Delta State.

Executive director of CENTREP Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, in a statement said that there was no basis for such insinuations as it affirmed that the governor has followed and will follow the senatorial pattern in his appointments.

The insinuations followed the recent appointment of Mr. Chiedu Ebie as Secretary to the State Government, SSG. Ebie is from Ika South, in Delta North. The governor is also from Delta North.

Previous governors including Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta South) who appointed Ovuozourie Macaulay from Isoko in Delta South while James Ibori from Delta Central also worked with Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central) as SSG.

Defending Okowa in a statement issued on Tuesday, Ikimi said:

“We in CENTREP do not agree with some of the state policies of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, but we, however, believe that his recent political appointments of his personal staffers are in order as the said appointments cuts across the three senatorial districts of the state.”

“Our position devoid of any primordial motive stems from the fact that the political equation in Delta State lies in the offices of the Governor, (Delta North), Deputy Governor, (Delta South) and Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, (Delta Central) and not in the appointment by Governor Okowa of his personal political staffers as in the instant case.

“Without holding brief for the governor, we believe that as chief executive, the governor has the prerogative to appoint whomever he desires as his personal staff whether or not they are his relatives as long as the appointees are eminently qualified to occupy such positions. It is, therefore, unfair and sarcastic for the proponents of the above theory to pontify that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is a tribal bigot trying to Aniomalize the entire Delta state,” Ikimi added.

“Since Governor Okowa had assured Deltans that further political appointments would be done on the basis of equity and fair play across the three senatorial districts of the state, we call on the proponents of the above tribal theory,  who are indeed troublemakers to sheathe their swords henceforth.”

“Such inflammatory statements are capable of further dividing and polarizing our beloved state along tribal lines to the detriment of peace, progress and development of our state and her citizenry,” he affirmed. 

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