Impunity as Governor Okowa removes opposition billboards in Delta

Billboard removed from Oko

By Anthony Maliki

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) vice presidential candidate and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa has ordered the removal of six campaign billboards of the presidential candidate of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso in Asaba, Delta State capital.
He equally ordered the removal of the campaign billboards of Anthony Onochie Ochei, the NNPP candidate for Aniocha Oshimili Federal Constituency for the House of Representatives.
Apex News Exclusive learnt two billboards each were pulled down at three locations from the airport, from Mariam Babangida Road and at Oko, near the head bridge.
Four NNPP Billboards were removed three weeks ago from Mariam Babangida Road and Airport Road while the Oko Billboards were removed immediately after Christmas.

It was also leant the Governor has instructed the Delta State Advertising Agency Boss to report directly to him in order to control the placement of opposition parties’ billboards across the state.
Accordingly, Advertising Agents operating in Delta State are said to be running what is supposed to be a profitable venture but are now very scared to install flexes on Billboards for which they had already collected money for, from candidates of opposition parties.
However, the NNPP Aniocha Oshimili Federal Constituency candidate, Anthony Onochie Ochei described the situation as absurd as Governor Okowa has turned himself into a thin God and an Emperor in the state.
The House of Representatives candidate said how does Governor Okowa want these Agents to feed their families and pay their children school fees including other bills when they cannot collect new businesses from opposition political parties and cannot even solicit for new ones?
“How will they cope when they start facing protracted litigations from people they collected money from, signed contracts and issued receipts of payment without delivery?”, he asked.
He told Apex News Exclusive on telephone that Governor Okowa is busy flying his campaign posters and billboards across the country as PDP vice presidential candidate, yet preventing other parties from doing so in his domain.
Ochei noted that why is Okowa afraid of Dr. Kwankwaso if he had done well in Delta state with a myriad of protests of unpaid salaries and pensions in an oil rich state of Delta with high revenue allocation and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“How will you feel Mr. Okowa if someone else is in power and ordered the removal of your daughter’s Billboards, spread all across Ika land?”, he said.
Ochei reminded Governor Okowa that power is very transient noting “where are those mighty men of yesterday who abused power and privileges like you’re doing right now?”
He advised Governor Okowa and his economy team to go and focus on more important matters especially how to properly account for the utilisation of 13% Oil Derivation Fund President Muhammadu Buhari paid to the state.
According to him, Governor Okowa must tell Deltans the true sum paid to the state by the federal government and how it was utilised describing it as “Stewardship Accounting.”
Ochei also expressed concern over threats on him and others by the governor’s agents saying the whole world, the President and Security Agencies, should please note if any thing happens to them.
He told Apex News Exclusive that Governor Okowa and his team must replace the NNPP Billboards containing images of Dr. Kwankwaso and himself in Asaba they removed unjustly on his orders else they will take all lawful steps to seek redress from appropriate quarters.