……As Okowa’s Principal Secretary Taxed HMPs N125 Million For
Appointment Appreciation
………Okowa Don’t Have Confidence In Ogbe And Has Concluded
Plans To Settle Us Out Of Office—DSIEC Commissioner
If classified information obtained by HardReporters
political editor from Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC),
concerning the conduct of local government elections is anything to go by,
then, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as always and the chairman of (DSIEC), Mr. Moses
Ogbe, have lied to entire Deltans and indeed Nigerians.
Time without number at various occasions, governor Okowa has
kept on telling the people that in no distance time, he shall conduct local
government elections with strong promises that he will never run the councils
with caretaker committees.
HardReporters can also recall that few months ago, the
Chairman of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), Mr. Moses Ogbe,
had told The POINTER newspapers in Asaba, that an election timetable for the
conduct of local councils’ election shall soon be released in Delta State.
According Ogbe, the Commission had gone round the state,
assessed the facilities for the conduct of the polls and that government was
very willing to fund the conduct of the local polls because of its critical
democratic importance, observing that the Commission was conscious of anxiety
of politicians and political parties for the elections, promising that the
electoral body will not disappoint them as the elections will be conducted in
the nearest future.
He appealed to politicians to be patient and not to jump the
gun, saying “we are coming out very soon with the election timetable.
The electoral helmsman had maintained that the tour of the
commission round the various offices in the state has prepared the body for the
polls as the facilities will be upgraded while staff would be retrained for the
conduct of the polls.
Ogbe further promised Deltans that the next local council
polls shall be free, fair and credible, warning that any DSIEC staff that
compromises the conduct of the polls shall be sanctioned adding that his
commission was zero tolerant about rigging or doctoring of election results.
“Any staff that compromises will face the wrath of the law.
From our interaction with the staff, they know that we mean business. We
believe that we will all work together to ensure that there is good election in
the state.” Ogbe had warned.
But, HardReporters can exclusively reports that Governor
Okowa and the DSIEC boss, Ogbe have been lying to the people.
Ogbe led DSIEC which was inaugurated by former governor
Emmanuel Uduaghan, HardReporters authoritatively gathered, Okowa has no single
atom of confidence in Ogbe led DSIEC as a result all arrangements have been
concluded to sack Ogbe and his team and commence the process of appointing a
new Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) that the governor will
use to conduct the councils election sometime in April, 2018.
Confiding in our correspondent, a DSIEC commissioner who
pleaded for anonymity, admonished Deltans not to be deceived by anyone, not
even the commission’s chairman nor Governor Okowa that councils election will
take place anytime soon this year.
“Going by the electoral calendar, the tenure of elected
political office holders at the local government level in Delta state climaxed
this October. They have less than four months left to earn the appellation of
former this, former that. As expected, the state government whose onus lies the
responsibility to ensure smooth political transition ought to by now be making
adequate arrangements to conduct free, fair, and credible elections. As for us
in DSIEC, our tenure supposed to expire next year.
“But, I can authoritatively tell you that Okowa has no
single trust, confidence in Ogbe led DSIEC. Forget the governor’s blabbing
concerning the conduct of local government election, there is nothing like
that. The current issue on ground now is that, Ogbe led DSIEC supposed to end
its tenure next year because of course you know we can not be sacked from
office as a statutory commission, but instead, the governor has concluded
arrangements to settle us with money out of office so that he can begin the
process of appointing his own loyalists that he has confidence in and can
deliver all his party’s candidates from chairman to the councilor.” DSIEC
commissioner said.
HardReporters further gathered that as the governor Okowa is
busy planning how to settle Ogbe led DSIEC out of office, he has already
appointed a secretary for the commission secretly ahead of the process to bring
in his loyalists to man the new DSIEC that will be put in place sometime on or
before December 2017.
Meanwhile, HardReporters has learnt that governor Ifeanyi
Okowa has finally settled for the running of the councils by Heads Of Personnel
Management (HPMs) pending when local government election will be conducted next
year.
A top government house source in Asaba, had last two weeks
confided in our political editor in Abuja that the principal secretary to the
governor, Mr. Hilary Ibegbulem has allegedly taxed the HPMs in the twenty five
local government councils in the state the sum of N125 million to show
appreciation to his boss, governor Okowa.
It was gathered that already, the HPMs have allegedly
started taxing themselves N5 million each to make up the N125 million to be
sent to the principal secretary for onward delivery to the governor.
One of the HPMs in Delta central who confirmed the
appreciation contributions to our correspondent however refused to disclosed
the actually amount taxed each HPM adding that “Each HMP will be posted to his
local government of origin to serve according to the way the governor is
working out everything.”
As at the time of filing in this report, all calls to
chairman of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC), Mr. Moses
Ogbe and the principal secretary to the governor, Mr. Hilary Ibegbulem were
ignored.
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