Okowa urges political appointees to avoid executing contracts

By Austin Oyibode

Towards ensuring even spread of democratic dividends, Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has said elected and appointed political office holders should not be involved in the execution of contracts.

* Senator Okowa

Addressing leaders and elders of the Delta Central Senatorial district who paid him a ‘thank you’ visit in Asaba yesterday, Governor Okowa emphasized that it was not in the best interest of all for elected and appointed political office holders to be involved in the execution of contracts.

According to him, “we need to understand that for the good of our state, everybody must participate in government and when you are participating through appointment or holding elective position, then it is also fair that you let others to benefit through contracts, we will find ways to empower our people who did not find themselves in elective or appointive positions and only then we can be a happy people.”

He reiterated, “I am sorry there are those who have not got appointments, but we should know that even when we do more appointments, reconstitute boards, you will also realize that it will not be possible to appoint everyone who worked during the elections into positions, it is an obvious fact but, there are other ways of reaching out to our people, there are contracts to be done, renovation and construction works to be done and I want to plead with those who have been elected and those who are holding political appointments that it will not be in the best for us as a party, for us as a people when we have benefitted from appointments and also want to be the contractors.”

Excited Governor Okowa said, “I thank you (Urhobo leaders and elders) profusely for this visit, looking at the array of politicians who are here, I am convinced about the reason we won the elections in Urhobo land,” adding, “my greatest joy today as Governor is that I won in the three Senatorial Districts, and it is on record that out of the eight local government areas in Delta Central, we won clearly in four of them while my friends shared the rest but, we also got substantial votes in the other four local government areas.

“I thank all our leaders who made it possible for us to win those elections, I thank our youths and women for the roles they played during the elections and even when our opponents in the elections are at the tribunal today, I always call for partnership, we cannot continue to go to the tribunal for the sake of litigations, my brothers in the tribunal should realize that even their people preferred me to them, i believe we need the partnership of everybody to achieving the goal of greater Delta State,” the Governor stated.

He used the occasion to throw light on the appointments he has made saying, “by God’s grace, we have been able to several appointments, we are challenged financially as a state but, I know it will be unfair to work alone.”

Earlier the Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial district, Chief Ighoyota Amori said they were on a thank you visit to the Governor, emphasizing, “we are here to say thank you for all that your government has done for the Urhobo people, this is a replication of what used to happen in Governor James Ibori’s time, we are all happy, this gathering is not just PDP (Peoples Democratic Party), it cuts across the political class, they are all benefitting from your government.