“The N5 billion promised local government staff by the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, is politically motivated," the statement read.
Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the move by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to release the sum of N5 billion to offset the backlog of salary arrears owed local government workers, as politically motivated.
According to the party, since the inception of the present administration, the governor has continued to be "inhuman and insensitive" to the plights of the councils workers.
A few days ago, Okowa had promised to release the sum of N5 billion to the local government councils to offset the backlogs of salaries owed its staff. In June 2017, the governor had insisted that it was not his responsibility to pay the salaries of local government workers.
However, a statement signed by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina, and obtained by SaharaReporters, read: “For the past three years, local government councils workers in Delta State have being living in the throes of poverty, hardship and ridicule because of the unwarranted economic hardship meted on them by the government of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
“The N5 billion promised local government staff by the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, is politically motivated. Okowa knows that Deltans are tired of him. The five billion naira promised for payment of local government councils' workers was made because elections are around the corner.
“Because of political reasons, Ministry of Local Government Affairs was created by Delta State government, and local government councils relegated to a position of a ministry. Recently, President Mahammadu Buhari wanted to free local government councils from the jaws of the state by way of financial autonomy, but Delta State government, led by Sen. Okowa connived with the House of Assembly of the state and his like minds from other states and the bill before the National Assembly was strangulated.
“Before now, the song on the lips of Sen. Okowa was/is that it is not his responsibility to pay local government councils workers. Constitutionally, he could be right. However, in view of the fact that he never allowed direct federal allocations to local government councils, but created an account for siphoning allocations accruing to them, Sen. Okowa is duty/morally bound to pay the salaries of local government councils' workers. That moral obligation, he abandoned for the past three years."
The party, however, urged the council workers to collect the money as soon it’s paid because it is their right. They also called on them to do the needful by voting out the PDP government in 2019.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction, the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), described the APC statement as “diabolical politics”.
A statement signed by the party's Publicity Secretary, Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza, read: “The Delta APC has resorted to playing diabolical politics with such a sensitive matter as the payment of workers’ salaries. But then again we are not surprised because the APC is only living true to its notoriety as an anti-people, anti-progress political party founded on lies, deceit and vile propaganda.
"It is clear from the press statement by Imonina that the Delta APC takes delight in the suffering of our people. That explains why they are gloating over this temporary delay in the release of the funds. Any political party or group of persons that would do that cannot but be haters and sadists."