PANDEF demands apology from Okowa for responding to Clark’s comment

The Pan-Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF) has given the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, 48-hours to apologize to elder statesman and leader of the group, Chief Edwin Ckark, as well as retract and withdraw his recent comments on the Ijaw leader.

This was a fallout to Okowa‘s response to an open letter by Clark asking him to resign as the running mate to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, because he, (Okowa), allegedly betrayed the people of the South-South.

In the open letter, Clark also asked Okowa to account for Delta State funds he allegedly used to sponsor the Atiku campaign.

In response to the open letter, Okowa’s media aides had also accused Clark of looking for relevance and should not be taken seriously.

But in a statement on Sunday issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson, PANDEF said Okowa should rather respond to the issues raised by Clark rather than releasing his “attack dogs on the 96 year-old man old enough to be his father or grandfather.”

PANDEF said the least expectation was that Okowa would provide answers to the questions posed, as the demand for accountability and transparency should not be dismissed or disregarded because the funds that come to Delta State are for the benefit of the residents of Delta State.

“As a regional body that represents the interests of the people of the entire Niger Delta, PANDEF is compelled to note that the responses, on the matter, by Okowa’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, and other sycophantic liegemen, are thoughtless and disingenuous.

READ ALSO:OKOWA: PDP warns Clark, others to avoid comments likely to cause disunity

“It would even become more worrying if the invectives from the “attack dogs” signify Governor Okowa’s true inner reflections.

“For the purpose of correcting Okowa’s messengers, and to set the records right, for future generations, it is necessary to remind Governor Okowa and his misguided aides of some facts.

“Without doubt, there is no other Nigerian, living or dead, who has played roles to unify this country like Chief E. K. Clark has done.

“It is, therefore, most unfortunate that Governor Okowa would accused Chief Edwin Clark of dividing the nation.

“Our least expectation was that His Excellency would provide answers to the questions posed. Because the funds that come to Delta State are for the people of Delta State, thus, the demand for accountability and transparency must not be trivialized or ignored, but should be answered correctly, especially for a man who dreams to become the vice president of Nigeria.

“Nonetheless, PANDEF gives Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, 48 hours to retract and withdraw his attacks on Chief Clark in his own interest,” the statement reads in part.

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