The Delta State Government on Saturday night dismissed online reports (not by News Express) claiming that the State Governor, Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, defrauded the state of $10m, only to lose the money to an unnamed girlfriend. The reports were based on a story published earlier in the day by The Nation newspaper on Saturday, January 28, 2017 in which it claimed that an unnamed Niger Delta governor lost a diverted bailout sum of $10m to a girlfriend living in the United States of America.

Delta State Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ukah, last night in a statement issued in Asaba strongly condemned “the various attempts to link Delta State Governor, Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa with the said story.”

Ukah said: “It is instructive to state that The Nation, quoting sources from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reported that a serving governor from the South-South region, allegedly diverted $10M from the bailout fund for his state, without mentioning anybody’s name.

“We are appalled by the attempt to link Governor Okowa with the story by online media. We find it ridiculously tasteless and mischievous. This can only be part of the unrelenting campaign of calumny and the ceaseless peddling of pernicious propaganda against the person and office of the Delta State Governor.

“For the record, the state government has severally in the past given account of how the bailout fund the state got from the Federal Government was used. We will not repeat ourselves here.

“Governor Okowa is a responsible family man and a well respected public figure. His preoccupation has been and continues to be how to deliver on his promised S.M.A.R.T agenda to the good people of Delta State since he came to office. And he has received applause and commendations from far and near for being so focused and unrelenting in the pursuit of his vision for the state.

“He will not be distracted by any form of organised and orchestrated blackmail from any quarters. And God willing, he will continue to deliver on his promises.

“But we wish to sound this note of warning, that if those who are bent on carrying out their devious and dubious campaign of calumny against the governor refuse to stop this infamous trade of theirs, we reserve the right to take any action deemed appropriate to seek redress.”