I Was Denied My Entitlements As  Deputy under Obiano –Okeke Finally Opens Up

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The immediate-past Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke has revealed that he was not getting the entitlements due to him as the Deputy Governor of the state under ex-governor Willie Obiano.

Dr. Okeke revealed this while addressing newsmen in Awka, the state's capital, where he also revealed that those entitlements stoped coming because Obiano refused to sign them.

While expressing hope that the current governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo would look into the matter at the right time, he insisted he had no regrets joining APC.

He said: “I was not even receiving my entitlements while I was serving and I am not sure I will get any severance allowance. I don’t even know what is there for me. In the last couple of months, before our administration came to an end, I wasn’t getting my overhead as the governor refused to sign the warrant for my overhead.

“But I am hoping that Governor Chukwuma Soludo will do that when the time comes. For now, I don’t want to add to his problems and if they don’t come eventually, life goes on. I didn’t join politics for entitlements, but to contribute my quota.

“I thank God that I left the party as of the time I did. People blaming me for leaving or accusing me of betraying the party are not being fair to me.”

He added, “I felt that after serving as deputy governor, what the next is Would I continue to be in state politics or go to national politics? And the question was if I wanted to go to national politics, would it be the APC or the PDP? Two of them are really the same, but I chose to join the party in power at the national level.

“I knew some people were not happy with that decision, but I look at things from all perspectives. I put into consideration what the APC has done for the people of Anambra, particularly the Second Niger Bridge, and I know what that bridge will do for our state when it is completed.”

Dr. Okeke, who decamped to the All Progressive Congress few weeks to the 2021 governorship election in the state, said he had no regrets doing do at the time he did it because he was no longer enjoying the goodwill and confidence of Obiano.

While noting that he dumped APGA because he needed to serve at the national level; he, however, expressed gratitude to Ndị Anambra and ex-governor Obiano, for the opportunity to serve the state.

According to him, he knew that Anambra was not in a good shape, but the advice he gave on critical issues concerning the state were not taken.

In his word, “The governor is the all and all. The deputy dances to the whims and caprices of the governor. I have always believed in giving my best in whatever capacity I find myself. It has always been my plan to join the APC. It is the question of what I do next after serving as deputy governor.

“I don’t have any regrets joining the APC. I joined the party, because I needed to play my politics at the national level and the two parties at the national level are the APC and the PDP. I have really gained national limelight since joining the party. The APC has welcomed me with open arms as I have been participating in the activities of the party at all levels. I just hope that more opportunities will come.”

He also commended ex-governor Obiano for not replacing him after his first term, despite the huge pressure on him to do so.

“There was massive pressure on Obiano to replace me as we were going for the second term, but he did not do so; and that made me the only two-term deputy governor of the state. The eight years have come and gone. Although things did not really work out the way it was expected, but looking back, I have no regrets; I can only thank God and the people of Anambra,” he stated.

On the issue of the huge debt incurred by the last administration, the Okeke said some of the projects that contributed to that like the airport and the international convention centre were not necessary and that he advised against them.

He said, “That you saved N75bn or N100bn does not mean anything if you do not invest it in productive ventures. As of the time the Airport project and the Convention Centre were going on, I advised against them, but my advice was not followed.

Concerning Obiano's arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okeke said he knew things would end up that way, even though he did not expect them to happen the way they did.