The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, to desist from telling “lies” to deceive the people of the state to support his “already failed ambition”.

Okowa stated that “no amount of lies and propaganda” deployed by the APC candidate would secure the governorship of the state for him and the party.

The governor spoke through the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, at a press conference in Asaba, the state capital on Tuesday.

Aniagwu stated that the state government would not fold its hands and allow Omo-Agege, who is the Deputy Senate President to “use lies and bogus promises” to deceive the people of Delta State to vote for the APC in the 2023 general election.

The commissioner said: “The attitude of Omo-Agege is becoming worrisome even when we have advised him before to tell Deltans what he would do for them because we acknowledge that it is his democratic right to seek the office he is aspiring to occupy in 2023.

“In doing so, it will not be wise for him to take for granted the intelligence of Deltans, because the best way to speak to Deltans is to tell them the truth.

“You cannot ride to occupy the Government House on the altar of lies because governance these days cannot be carried out the way they thought it was done in the past.

“You will recall in 2015 that the APC rode on a mantra of change and unfortunately every element of that change has turned out to be total lie.

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“You are all witnesses to the fact that none of the things promised has been fulfilled; so, to want to deploy same old trick of well-laced lies and make them look like the truth to aspire to become the governor of Delta is not acceptable to our people.”

On allegations of borrowing by the state government, Aniagwu said Omo-Agege lacked requisite knowledge and credibility to question Governor Okowa on borrowing, saying he jointly superintends over a National Assembly that was “notorious for approving frivolous loans” to President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government.

“If we want to talk about professionals in borrowing you will be talking about the APC-led Federal Government where Omo-Agege sits as number two in the Red Chamber where several billions of dollars were approved arbitrarily and borrowed even when they have not translated to the life, welfare, and well-being of our people as Nigerians.

“The funds that we sought before now, we made it very clear the reason why we wanted to take the bridging finance facility because we had monies owed to us by the Federal Government.

“In order to move against the tide by ensuring that the fluctuations that characterised our economy, particularly our currency, do not catch up with what we were expected to earn.

“As we speak, the Federal Government has not been able to remit what is supposed to come to us quarterly and on the basis of that, we have not been able to access that loan.

“For all the loans we sought we have always explained what we wanted to do with it and on this bridging finance we were very clear on the need for us to tackle issues of pension and completion of some ongoing key projects,” he stated.

On another allegation that Okowa’sadministration had no projects to show for the past seven years, Aniagwu slammed Omo-Agege for “being economical with the truth”.

He said there was peace in the state because the state government had taken development to hitherto abandoned oil-producing communities.

He further challenged Omo-Agege to take a tour of communities in his local government, especially the Agbarho-Orherhe bridge and road, Arhagba-Orogun township roads Ogbe-Ikolobie road, Imodje-Orogun road, and the recently awarded Orogun bypass.

“The Emevor-Orogun road recently approved by Exco is in the process of being awarded. Once in a while, he flies into the Asaba airport and he knows what we have done there; so, he cannot come and tell lies and think that will catapult him into the government house.

“Let him go and unfold his programmes because Deltans are very much informed for anyone to take them for a ride.

“Let him focus on his programmes and projects and if he must look at our direction let him stay on the path of facts because anybody who wants to govern Delta irrespective of political party must come with clean hands,” the commissioner stated.

Speaking on the successes recorded by Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo on oil theft, Aniagwu said it was a clear justification of the state government’s earlier position for the Federal Government to engage locals in the security of oil facilities and infrastructure.

The Star