A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the arrest and detention of a former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa was politically motivated.
Speaking during a media conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the party’s Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, accused the anti graft agency of witch hunt.
The ex- governor was on Monday arrested in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital by operatives of the EFCC when he responded to an invitation extended to him by the agency.
Okowa, who was the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, was alleged by the EFCC to have diverted N1.3 trillion of Delta State’s fund while in office as governor.
The anti graft agency said the money represented the 13 percent derivation accountable to Delta State from the Federation Account.
The EFCC said the alleged infraction was committed between 2015 and 2023. Okowa was governor of Delta State from 2011 to 2023.
The anti graft agency also alleged that the former governor diverted another N40 billion, purporting to have invested the money in UTM, a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas company, on behalf of Delta State.
The EFCC further alleged that Okowa used the monies to acquire estates for himself in Abuja and Asaba.
But PDP’s Osadolor countered that Okowa’s arrest and detention was a fallout of the recent “shredding” of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies by PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“It is an open secret that this government has made it a hubby to pick on key leaders of opposition, especially those with capacity to give them a run and guide the people against the evil that this current government is unleashing on the people.
“Former governor Okowa was a running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the last presidential election and he was walking free until Atiku Abubakar shredded the economic policies of President Tinubu.
“Our demands are that the EFCC should not see itself as an extension of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Presidency. It should be a neutral independent body that investigates financial crimes. But is has taken it upon itself to be the chief financial hunter of opposition leaders in this country.
“Okowa should be released, media trials and embarrassment of opposition leaders must stop. We should also know that there is a pattern from the arrest of Okowa.
“By next week, they will go after Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki. This is a plan targeted at opposition leaders in this country. We are not saying that political office holders should not be called to account but it should be devoid of political sentiments”, Osadolor said.
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Okowa’s Arrest By EFCC Politically Motivated – PDP Official is first published on The Whistler Newspaper