*Okowa Denies Refunding N500bn
THE Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
It was Oborevwori’s first official visit to the President since his recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last week, followed by all PDP lawmakers in the state on Tuesday, a move that has changed the political structure of the state.
The governor arrived at the State House around 3:30p.m. and was received by officials before proceeding to a closed-door meeting with the President, details of which have not been disclosed.
Meanwhile, a former governor of the state and PDP vice presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who also defected to the ruling party, has vehemently denied recent reports suggesting that he had refunded a whopping sum of N500billion as part of a plea bargain with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is investigating him over misapplication of billions of naira while he was governor.
Reacting to the report, his former chief press secretary, Mr. Olise Ifeajika, said: “It is not true that my boss, Okowa, returned such money. The EFCC is at liberty to do its job.
“He was invited and shown documents, and he responded accordingly. The EFCC has been visiting Delta State and inviting people for questioning. We believe the investigation is still ongoing.”
He did not rule out the possibility of plea bargain, saying, however, that such could be “only when it is concluded and a case is established.”
“There is no truth to claims of returning money to the Delta State Government or the EFCC.”
Earlier this year, EFCC operatives arrested the immediate past accountant general of the state, Mrs. Joy Enwa, as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of N1.3trillion during the Okowa administration.
There have been speculations linking the former senator’s recent defection to APC to the EFCC case.
