Arising from alleged financial and administrative impropriety, there are strong indications that the head of the Delta state All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, who is also the Minister of state, Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu may be left with no option than to embark on the dissolution of the council.
The minister’s proposal stems from the discovery of alleged financial and administrative discrepancies revolving around the Council’s Director-General, Hon Temi Harriman and her Deputy, Dr Iyke Odikpo on the disbursement of the N35M Naira earmarked for President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign visit to Delta State recently.
According to an inside source, the Minister of State Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu provided N25M Naira, while the Executive Director Project in the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC), Dr Sam Adjogbe availed the council with N10M Naira.
Also, it was revealed that the Minister and the EDP were scandalised by the quality of services rendered which was not commensurate with the whooping sum released.
For example, Harriman claimed to have purchased three yards of Ankara material for four thousand Naira per piece, while Odikpo claimed to have engaged tailors for seeing the materials for between five and ten thousand naira each.
Curiously, a lot of dignitaries including President Buhari and the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole declined donning them as they were a far cry from the acceptable standard nationwide.
Moreover, Odikpo was said to have mobilised two instead of the five buses from each of the 25 LGA’s at the budgeted N30,000 per vehicle.
Again, it was equally alleged that the Deputy DG remitted a flat rate of N5,000 to each of the twenty-five Local Government Area Party chairmen for transport expenses, irrespective of distance differentials. This did not go down well with the chairmen, particularly those from the Delta North senatorial zone.
The source further disclosed that budgetary provision was made for the production of T-shirts and Fez caps, which dignitaries neither saw nor wore at the ceremony.
The minister was also reported to have confided in some highly placed party faithful’s that the Deputy DG purchased a brand new generator for use at the Presidential Campaign Council office Asaba but was shocked to discover that the new generator set was exchanged with an old one that he had been using in his Onicha-Olona country home.
Information has it that the duo of Harriman and Odikpo are presently busy running from pillar to post in an attempt to justifiably account for and retire the said N35 million.
Meanwhile, party faithful and onlookers alike, are in a quandary as to why the minister and the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru seem not to have included party members from both tendencies in their vote-winning campaign strategy, more so when the impending Presidential election is just three weeks from now.
