Ogboru ‘did not collect N3bn’ from APC leaders

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta state says the leadership of the party did not give N3 billion to Great Ogboru, who contested the last governorship election under the platform of APC.

A coalition, in a statement signed by Daniel Ekiugbo, had made this allegation, claiming there were hostilities between Ogboru and some prominent APC members.

Ovie Omo-Agege, senator representing Delta central, and Emmanuel Uduaghan, former governor of the state, were listed as those fighting Ogboru over the issue.

But Zik Zulu Okafor, APC media director in the state, described the allegation as fictive.

“The height of Ekiugbo and his mindless coalition’s degeneracy and depravity is the assertion that Ogboru presented a budget of over N3 billion which was funded by his party,” Okafor said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, Ogboru is not going to give any account to this apparition called coalition. Worse still, those that gave the Urhobo born business magnate money know his history and are almost certain that he would not spend the money given to him outside the purpose it was meant for.

“However, to put the record straight, Ogboru was not given N3 billion by the APC leadership for the elections. And we will not yield to the shenanigan of blackmailers by revealing the amount received here. Suffice to say that there was a template attached to the fund released for the elections and the man fondly called the People’s General adhered strictly to this template.

“Every Local Government Area, LGA, was funded without exception. And to impishly suggest that commissioner positions were sold for N50 million in advance is to descend to the abyss of outrageous infamy. It simply underscores the small-mindedness of Ekiugbo and his ilk, and their intense ignorance of the nobility of character of the man they set out desperately to malign. This is a man who had almost single- handedly financed his elections since 2003 and had expended well over N5 Billion in the process. Yet his net worth today still stands in excess of N10.4 Billion. How could such a man descend to seek some paltry N50 million in advance from some imaginary Commissioners at a time that a good chunk of his campaign fund, for the very first time, was being provided by his party.”

Okafor said the coalition is faceless and being sponsored by “turncoats in the APC collaborating with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”.

He urged APC members and supporters in the state to remain calm and confident because.