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By Charles Nwabardi
Prince Kassim Afegbua, former Commissioner for Information in Edo State, on Friday has condemned the Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa of betraying his fellow Governor’s in the Southern Governors Forum by working for the presidency to remain in the North.
Afegbua, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said despite the resolution of the Southern Governors that the presidency must return to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years, Okowa went behind and supported Atiku Abubakar in picking the PDP presidential ticket.
Afegbua also praised Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike for speaking out over the political imbalance in the PDP, saying those accusing the governor of being combative couldn’t fault his claim with superior arguments.
He said: “Politicians generally don’t want to be told the truth. Why do you think Wike is fighting? Can anybody fault Wike’s reasoning and position on issues? They said he is garrulous, uncouth, lousy and combative. Are those the issues? What Wike is saying, has anybody been able to controvert them with superior arguments?
“17 Southern Governors met in Asaba in what they called ‘Asaba Declaration’. After that, they met in Lagos, Enugu and Umuahia to reaffirm and reemphasize their demands but the likes of Ifeanyi Okowa who hosted the first meeting were going through the backdoor to support an Atiku presidency”.
“That is what I find to be very nauseating and unstatesmanly. At a certain point in my life, I must be clear-headed in my objectives, vision and my mission. I wouldn’t want anyone to take me for a ride. I am always driven by my convictions. If my convictions are not right for a particular project, I will rather not participate in that project than go through the backdoor and stab people at the back because I wanted to make an impression.
“Okowa has taken the handshake beyond the elbow and the record of history will put it very succinctly. It doesn’t matter whether he becomes Vice-President tomorrow but the process leading to that VP is faulty”.
“Everybody you talk to now will say Okowa is a betrayer. That is not a good narrative to leave for his family. At any point in life, don’t be selfish with your political interests, rather, look at the bigger picture. Was Okowa thinking that the South were not reasonable to be asking for the presidency after Buhari’s eight years?”
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