As the plan by the Delta State Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, to reshuffle his cabinet gathers momentum, some kinsmen of the governor who are members of his cabinet are bent in unseating the Oshimili North representative in Okowa’s government, 247ureports can authoritatively report.
Investigation revealed that the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Kingsley Emu, Commissioner in charge of the Directorate of Orientation, Eugene Uzum and the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, have gone diabolic to displace the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, from the cabinet.
The course, it was learnt is been championed by a disgruntled cabinet member, Emu, a crook, who was fingered in the N369 million fraud that rocked Okowa’s government in his first year, Uzum, on the other hand forced Okowa to carved out the Directorate of Orientation from the Ministry of Information when he (Uzum) threatened to dump Okowa’s party following the failure of the governor to appoint him while Aniagwu, a glutton, who diverted bags of rice running into millions of naira from Government House to his private office off Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS) road and short-changed reporters of their 2015 Christmas package, are having sleepless nights because of Ukah.
It was reliably gathered that the governor’s reasons for the cabinet reshuffle was due to the inabilities of some Commissioners to perform their executive functions effectively, making the governor to be upset with their low performances and depressed with their lapses, resorted to embark on the cabinet reshuffle in no distant time.
Impeccable sources very close to the government hinted 247ureports.com that in one of the meetings with the governor attended by the Economic Planning Commissioner, Directorate of Orientation Commissioner, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor and others, Emu and his cohorts, vehemently stood on their grounds on the need for their employer to drop the Commissioner for Information and replaced him with either Aniagwu or Uzum, the move, it was gathered was rejected by Okowa.
Our check revealed that following the refusal of Okowa to grant their demand, Aniagwu and Uzum, threatened to resign their appointments.
Although, they seemed to have failed in their clandestine plan, as the move by the governor to reshuffle his cabinet continues, a lot of scheming have been going under the water which is spearheaded by the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Emu and his surrogates to see that Ukah is robbed of his portfolio as Commissioner for Information.
The obvious fact these trio refused to understand is that the position of the commissionership was zoned to each of the local government areas that made up the state which the grass root politician, Ukah, is privilege to enjoy as the Oshimili North representative in the cabinet.
During the immediate past administration of Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, Emu, who was the Commissioner in charge of Commerce and Industry was sacked on act of insubordination to his boss.
Emu was also involved in N369 million fraud that wrecked the First City Monument Bank, (FCMB), Asaba branch which led to the arrest of the branch manager, Mabel Asaije, by men of the Delta State Police Command.
Fillers reaching us indicates that Emu is doing everything possible to see that he gets grip of the leadership of the state via his Ika connection.
Findings revealed that Kingsley Emu’s attitude towards the present leadership of the state has made him to display impunity in handling issues related to governance in the state.
This is not the first time Kingsley Emu is hijacking political positions from those in authority, as he has hijacked the functions of the Commissioner for Finance, Olorogun Edevbie, the unfriendly character of Emu had resulted to several attempts by Edevbie to resign his appointment.
Further sources alleged that Kingsley Emu defrauded his former bank millions of monies which he used part of the loot to build Beneza Hotels, Asaba, while contractors that have dealings with the state government lobby their ways through Emu for recognition before payments are made for work executed.
If the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Emu, Commissioner for the Directorate of Orientation, Uzum and the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Anaigwu are not called to order by Governor Okowa, their acts which is already generating a lot of mixed feelings from different quarters of the state would escalate.
Uzum, who is a senior member of a powerful cult group in the state is working closely with his Ika brothers in the government to see that the seat of the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah is affected as his body language made the governor to carve out the Directorate of Orientation from the Ministry of Information which was under the purview of Ukah.
On the part of Chief Press Secretary to the governor, he was involved in the diversion of 2015 Christmas rice approved for journalists in the state even short-changing them of their Christmas honorarium.
Further information gathered was that sometime ago a girlfriend to the CPS to the governor was found dead in one of the hotel rooms in Nigeria housing herself and the CPS, this ugly tragedy made the family of the deceased to suspect the CPS having hands in the death.
Reacting to the strange attitude of the governor’s aides, many persons from different sections of the media spoke on the issue.
Barth Ozah, Secretary Indigenous Newspaper/Magazine Chapel and correspondent of Urhobo Voice Newspaper stated that so far, Ukah, has showcased himself to journalists in the state of his capacity in the management of information.
According to Ozah, there are rooms for the Commissioner to improve more on his information management as he is not a perfect being, stressing that since journalists are his primary constituency, he has been able to bring them together.
Ozah, advised the Commissioner to be in the know for every problem of journalists to avoid the press hitting up the polity of the state.
On the part of the former Financial Secretary, Asaba Correspondents’ Chapel and correspondent of Daily Times newspaper, Matthew Ochei, maintained that as a journalist in the state, Ukah has done credibly well since he assumed office as the Commissioner for Information, stressing that without fear or favour Ukah is one of the best Commissioners in the state serving under the Okowa’s administration.
Ochei stated, “Patrick Ukah is a big asset and blessing in Okowa’s government. Any attempt by anybody in government to stripe Ukah of his position will be resisted by journalists in the state”.
Ochei further described Ukah as a good listeners, one of the drivers and trumpeters of Okowa’s SMART Agenda and a man who is accessible any time any day if called upon to verify information.
According to Godwin Udoh of the Punch Newspaper, those agitating for the removal of Ukah are just pursuing shadow, “I can authoritatively speak that since Ukah assumed office as the Commissioner, journalists who were side-lined in the past are now been accommodated in every assignment conducted under the Ministry of Information”.
Udoh who aligned with Ochei said, “Ukah is the only Commissioner in Okowa’s administration who pick calls no matter the time, he is easily accessible, he is the right person to Mann the Ministry of Information”.
Efforts made to reach Patrick Ukah, Kingsley Emu, Eugene Uzum and Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu proved abortive.
