The All Progressive Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Sapele state constituency, Chief Felix Anirah has debunked the allegation that he was settled by Hon Monday Igbuya, PDP candidate and the Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly, with N180million in order to forget his electoral case, noting that PDP as a party feeds on lies.
Chief Anirah described as rumour, the allegation being paddled by Igbuya aides Mr Godfrey Omene and Mr Efe Mafure to the effect that the monarch of Okpe Kingdom, HRM Orhue I the Oroedji of Okpe kingdom brokered peace between Chief Anirah and Chief Igbuya and the sum of N180m was allegedly given to the monarch by Igbuya to settle him.
Addressing a team of Journalists on the issue, he urged the good people of Sapele and Deltans to discard the rumour; noting that he can never be bought over by anybody and that he didn’t at any time meet with the monarch or Chief Igbuya to settle out of court.
He added that though the Appeal Court in Benin choose to give judgment without justices by turning a blind eye to the avalanche of evidences brought before it by the appellant, he will never relent until justice is done, and the mandate of the people of Sapele freely given to him is recover from the usurper.
According to Chief Anirah, “Chief James Ibori in 2003 offered me the sum of N480million in order for me drop my political aspiration and I turned it down, what will I do with a mere N180m? This goes to show that the rumour is baseless and should not be accorded any attention; this matter is not over yet, we shall test it in the Supreme Court.
“If I could resist the pressure and threat from the then Military administrator of Delta State, Col. Ibrahim Keffas in 1997 under zero party to forget my mandate, which was given to late Chief Andrew Obule, I dared him, i went ahead to the Supreme Court to reclaim my mandate and was sworn-in as elected local government chairman is Sapele, do you think anybody can buy me over now?”
Attempt to speak to Chief Igbuya on the allegation was unsuccessful as calls put to him was not answered, however, an aide to Chief Igbuya who does not want his name in print stated that his boss does not have such money to give to a man he defeated in an election adjudged as free and fair and also floored both at the tribunal and the court of Appeal.
Also attempt to get the reaction of the Oroedji of Okpe to speak on the issue also proved abortive as all calls to his mobile line were not picked and SMS sent to his line was not replied to as at the time of filing this report.
