Okoi Obono-Obla, a former presidential aide and spokesman of the APC campaign council in Cross River State, has called on the state government to probe all the politically-motivated killings that took place during Mr Donald Duke’s government, from 1999-2007.
In a statement on Saturday, January 28, 2023, he also called for a probe into the selling of 200 state-owned firms allegedly sold off to Duke’s friends when he was in power.
It would be recalled that a few days ago, the former governor said the incumbent Governor, Prof Ben Ayade sent him an SMS threatening to expose him for daring to use the governor as a political campaign topic for PDP.
Duke had said Ayade and his aides had disparaged him and he retaliated by disclosing at a PDP event that Ayade’s degrees and professorship are fake, even as his factories and other projects were fake.
Obono-Obla, in his statement, said “The state government must, as a matter of urgency order a fresh investigation of all unresolved politically motivated murders that took place in the State between 1999-2007 including Rev. Father Offiong, former deputy governor to Duke, H.E John Oyom Okpa, Barrister Eyo Okon Eyo, etc during the heydays when one of the oligarchs held sway. ”
He also advocated that the government investigate the burning down of the hotel belonging to His Excellency, Ambassador Akpang Obi Odu when Duke was in power.
He stated that a former Military Governor of the state late Brigadier General Udoka Jacob Esuene in 1967, with missionary zealotry, established more than 200 industries. He also incorporated the defunct Mercantile Bank but “Donald Duke, as governor, equally used missionary zealotry to sell all these industries, agricultural plantations, and the defunct Mercantile Bank to cronies and shell companies at giveaway prices.
“Till today no account was rendered on how much was realized from these sales. Today all these industries are moribund and the defunct Mercantile Bank was liquidated.”
He noted that the selling of the common patrimony of the People of Cross River State has deprived young people of the present generation of gainful employment in these industries, public enterprises, and plantations.
He called for the inauguration of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe these dubious sales and those killings.
Disgraced Former Buhari Aide Okoi Obono-Obla Makes Outlandish Claim About Peter Obi
Okoi Obono-Obla, a disgraced former presidential aide and, now, spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, campaign council in Cross River State, has claimed that the presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi is not eligible for next month’s presidential election.
Obono-Obla, who was dismissed as President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide under a cloud of corruption, in an interview in Calabar on Friday, January 13, 2023, said that at the time Peter Obi contested and won the LP ticket, he was not a member of a political party.
But the chairman and governorship candidate of the LP in Cross River State, Ogar Osim said in their party, they have waivers.
In response, Osim simply sent an SMS: “There’s a provision for waiver in Labour Party.”
However, the APC campaign council spokesman quoted section 77 of the Electoral Act 2022, saying “each party is required to maintain a membership register in hard and soft copy and to make such register available to the Independent National Electoral Commission not later than 30 days before the date fixed for primaries, congresses, and conventions. ”
According to Obono-Obla, “On April 30, 2022, INEC demanded all political parties to submit registers of its members. The Labour Party held its presidential primaries on 31 May 2022. Peter Obi joined the Labour Party on 27 May 2022. It follows that as of 31 May 2022 when Peter Obi purportedly won the ticket of the Labour Party, his name was not on the register of the Labour Party which had been submitted to INEC in compliance with the requirement of Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2022.”
Obono-Obla, a lawyer, explained that one of the constitutional requirements to become a President is that the candidate must belong to a political party, which he said Peter Obi was not.
Source: Daily Post
