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| Senator Ifeanyi Okowa |
A man's character is an accumulation of his way of life and perception. Before the advent of our present 14years of unabated democracy, Sen. Okowa started as Secretary to Ika LGA, LGA chairman, 3times commissioner, SSG and now a Senator. Its on record that Senator Okowa did not take, convert, steal what does not belong to him. A man of utmost sincerity, value and a promise keeper. An opportunist in the Person of Dumbiri Uweh cannot upset the apple cart because he that is in Senator Okowa is mightier that them all. Them that know Sen Okowa cannot be moved, them that don't know Uweh and his desperate blackmail techniques should know him now. The allegations are serious but laughable as Uweh chose a wrong victim. A Daniel will come to judge soon as the law must take its cause. The wheel of justice grinds slowly but will surely get to destination. All Uweh's allegations are blatant lies that cannot be substantiated.
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| Hon. Dumbiri Uweh |
In the words of Barr Uzum, “ordinarily we are not supposed to react to the unwarranted provocation reported on the person of distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Okowa on the social media which was credited to Dumbiri Uweh, but we are of the school of thought that keeping the record straight is a prerogative we owe the entire public. First of all, let us look at the issues raised by Dumbiri Uweh, where he alleged that he contested and purportedly won an election and someone else's name was written. I think the first thing he should have done was to go to court. Justice is incorruptible and the last hope of the common man. For Uweh not to thread the part of justice is a dis-service to himself. He made the world to understand through his various publications that he negotiated and sold his alleged mandate by the people of Ika North East Local Government, but unfortunately he never won any election. No court of law has pronounced such and INEC has not made any pronouncement in that direction, so he is just an opportunist”.
Barr Uzum opined that Senator Okowa is a man of peace that was why he agreed with other personalities in Ika land to mediate on Dumbiri Uweh’s post election case.
“On the issue of the mediation which Dumbiri Uweh is accusing Okowa of collecting N185m on his behalf, we all know that the distinguished Senator is a man of peace. That was why he agreed with other personalities in Ika land to be part of the mediation. To a very large extent, we cannot tell the level of implementation of that accord. But its of our knowledge that Uweh is only dancing to the gallery and wants to drag the name of distinguished Senator Okowa to the mud in order to get cheap relevance. Senator Okowa is a man of peace, whatever he ventures into; he sees it to the end. It is very unfortunate that issue which would have been resolved internally is taking to the public by Uweh I am using this medium to advise the people of Ika and Anioma in its entirety not to be used as an instrument of destabilization, especially ahead of 2015. Certain personalities of monumental insignificance are only looking for what will bring Okowa down (Pull Him Down). Unfortunately, Okowa is not a man that will be pulled down just like that. We are debunking all the allegations by Dumbiri Uweh that Senator Okowa facilitated the peace meeting of his post election case and defrauded him of N185m having collected N15m making it N200m.
“We are sounding out a signal that we the youths of Ika nation will not hesitate to invoke the hands of the law in making sure that the name of Senator Okowa is not dragged to the mud. We are putting the law enforcement agents on notice on the issue of character assassination. Okowa is known for peace, unity and tolerance. For Uweh to be alleging that he, Okowa defrauded him is a slap to Ika nation. We are calling on well meaning Ika people to advise the likes of Uweh and other persons who have decided to use cheap blackmail to pull down the name of Senator Okowa to have a rethink.
“The marriage between Senator Okowa and Delta State Government house in 2015 has already been ordained by God. No man can put asunder. Okowa's critics have no choice than to rally round and support him, for he is a man who has contributed much to his people, both at the local government and state levels. We are equally using this opportunity to call on Ika youths to stand by the truth. We are also using this forum to send a message to Uweh that issues are properly addressed in court not on the pages of newspaper Okowa agreed to mediate on Uweh's case for the interest of peace, fairness, equity and justice. Fortunately, the person Uweh contested election with is still alive.
Barr Uzum called on the press as well as social network providers to always verify facts before doing any publication so that they do not give cheap popularity to those he called undesirable elements in the society.
“Mr. Uweh and his cohorts would have treaded the part of honour by allowing sleeping dogs lie. We also call on the stakeholders in Ika politics to rally round Senator Okowa in 2015 governorship election because when a man has done so much for his people, we have no choice than to promote him.
The summary of the out burst by Mr. Uweh is that Senator Okowa has failed or refused to give him a sum of N185 million, allegedly given to him by Rt. Hon Sam Obi, a one time Acting Governor of Delta State and a three term member of the State’s House of Assembly, representing Ika North East in the House.
The money, according to Mr. Uweh was part of settlement money for his (Mr. Uweh’s) selling out on a mandate he claimed was given to him by the good people of Ika North East Local Government Area. He said he was convinced he won the election and was awaiting the court to declare him winner when Hon. Sam Obi dangled the carrot before him and he opted to collect N200, 000,000.00 like biblical Judas Iscariot and betrayed his people. He admitted having received 15 million naira as part payment from Hon. Obi for his betrayal.
Thus far, Senator Okowa has maintained a dignified silence on the matter (besides a response from one of his constituency aides), while Rt. Hon Sam Obi has equally not told the people of his constituency how he bargained for and bought Ika North East peoples’ mandate for N200, 000,000.00 through the back door.
By implication, Senator Okowa played the role of a facilitator for the mandate trade off, if Mr. Uweh’s allegation is correct.
Expectedly, the people of Ika North East have been too dumfounded to react to this shameful dealings or revelation.
The community newspaper on its part slanted the story and breached professional ethics or the basic rule of reporting.
In journalism and reporting in particular, a reporter who is writing a story or reporting an event, has no right of opinion of his or her own. Tell the story as you see or hear it and leave the readers to interpret. By interpreting, making comments or stating your views on a news story, you bias the minds of the readers and make your medium guilty of sensational or junk journalism.
You don’t start painting or interpreting the story. It is the readers who reads and interpret. A reporter who wants to interpret a story has to do news analysis or news commentary where he is entitled to express his/her opinion.
On the issue itself, the whole episode shows the shamelessness of some people, mostly the so called political leaders and/or aspirants who seek elective and/or appointive offices. Certain questions are begging for answers, but before going into these questions, it is pertinent to remind all the dramatis personae in this matter of an Agbor or Ika adage which says that “if you sneak into a place secretly, you equally sneak out secretly when you want to come out”.
In some wiser clime, the likes of Mr. Uweh will bury their heads in shame and go home to leak their wounds.
Definitely, it will be naive for him to expect the sympathy of the good people of Ika North East whom he sold out on. He has by this singular act nailed his political coffin, if Ika North East people will be good students of history.
If he had been given the N200, 000,000.00 as he had expected for his act of betrayal, would he have admitted to Ika North East people that he had traded off their mandate and remit as compensation to them the N200.000.000.00? Even, until he got to this point of frustration, did he for one day, tell his people that he had traded off their mandate?
If it is true that Hon. Sam Obi told him that he has given the sum of N185 million being the balance of N2 hundred million with which he bought the mandate of the people of Ika North East, it will be interesting to know what is the legitimate income of a member of the House of Assembly in four years. He should also tell the people why he decided to buy a mandate he could not get through the ballot box for such an exorbitant price. Was it a do or die affairs?
In the light of his admission of parting with such a colossal amount to buy a mandate, does he really in his conscience see himself as a true representative of his people? If his people still wanted him and if he had met their expectation for the years he had hitherto stayed in the house, could they have rejected him at the polls?
Against the backdrop of the speculations (rumour is belittling to an informed mind hence I hate to use that nomenclature) of his (Sam Obi’s) ambition to seek for a mandate to govern this State, what is his assurance that his people who are perhaps dissatisfied with his representation as a member of the House of Assembly will give him their mandate to govern them?
Although governorship is a State wide affairs, an Agbor/Ika adage also states that a dancer who wants to go public most first learn how to dance well at home. An aspirant who cannot win an election legitimately at his primary constituency has no business nursing a governorship ambition.
The complainants, Mr. Uweh also disclosed that this matter had gone through the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), if this true, then the EFCC has once again failed Nigerians and vindicated those who have been accusing it of selective action or witch hunting tactics and double standards. Why did the anti-corruption body not arrest, detain and charge both Mr. Dumbiri Uweh and Hon. Sam Obi for bribery and corruption. Are they above the law or are they sacred cows and untouchable?
As for Senator Okowa, it might be premature or pre-emptive to nail him at this juncture for several reasons. One is that he has not denied or confirmed brokering a mandate sell-off and keeping part of the proceeds from the corrupt dealings. Another thing is that in a matter of this nature, the onus of prove rests with the accuser. At his level politically and but his standing as a serving Senator of this great country, silence could be golden.
Well, it might be an uphill task for Mr. Uweh to do, but has to get Hon. (Prince) Sam Obi to speak and clarify this matter, if he must established a case against Senator Okowa and until that is done, it is his words against that of the Senator.
In this writer’s opinion, in a matter of this nature, he who alleges bears the burden of proof, sikena as the Hausa man would put it.
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