Alleged Constituency scandal: It’s ‘God forsaken lies’ against me – Onoja

Kogi State Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja has denied allegations against him in the media of executing a Constituency project belonging to Igalamela/Odolu State Constituency in Kogi State.

In a press statement by his Media Office which was made available to CAPITAL POST in Lokoja, Onoja who was the former Chief of Staff denied of having any relationship with the Directors of the company – E. J. Jemdee Nigeria Limited that executed the contract in the state Constituency at the time.

The statement averred that those who have failed in the past were after him, trying to link his good name with evil activities so as to bring him down.

Onoja wrote:

“His Excellency, Chief Edward Onoja, the Deputy Governor of Kogi State wishes to warn in the strongest terms possible the well-known political jobbers and habitual cyber-criminals who having failed in all their machinations against him in the past, have made it their latest pastime to link his good name to an alleged fraud in the constituency of one time Assembly Member, Friday Makama.”

For the avoidance of doubt:

“His Excellency has no shareholding, dealing or interest whatsoever in E.J Jemdee Nigeria Ltd, nor does he share blood, friendship, affiliation or relationship of any kind to or with any of the individuals or names contained in documents currently circulating online and allegedly depicting Directors of the said entity.

“Beyond the statutory and customary interactions of his office, formerly as Chief of Staff to the Governor and now as the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward Onoja has played and currently plays no role or part whatsoever in the affairs of the Kogi State House of Assembly, and especially in her financial practices or procurement practices.

“That His Excellency is aware and agrees that no constituency should suffer loss or neglect from government because of selfish, reckless and/or inadequate representation by any of her representatives in any arm of the New Direction Administration in Kogi State.

“His Excellency is aware that in the Administration’s first term, the good people of Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area in Kogi East Senatorial District became victims of such ill-representation when their former legislator was suspended from the Assembly by his peers for conduct unbecoming of any thinking human, much less one in the legislative office.

“That upon the aforesaid utterly befitting suspension of the former Igalamela/Odolu representative, Friday Makama for egregious misconduct, His Excellency avers that duty fell on every person of goodwill in government, including himself, to bridge gaps for the constituency and ensure that having become bereft of their legislator by his own fault, they do not suffer double jeopardy by concurrently losing their entitlements from the commonwealth of the state.

“That honest and responsible governance demands that no one misinforms the public on any matter, including this one, therefore the Office of His Excellency states that:

“Preliminary executive findings indicate that the named organization specializes in the drilling of boreholes and provision of rural water schemes.

“The sum allegedly paid to the organization in the circulating documents was meant for the drilling of boreholes in two locations, namely, Okpe Community in Ajaka and Amaka Okpodu, both in Igalamela/Odolu LGA.

“The boreholes were actually drilled at the said locations for the benefit of the people.

“In as much as His Excellency, the Deputy Governor is not connected to the company, the truth must nevertheless be told.

“This is a matter of public records which any interested individual or group may freely investigate for themselves without labelling anyone with non-existent fraud or conflict of interests or seeking to bring any personality into disrepute.

“The general public is urged to disregard this further attempt by a coven of diabolical and failed politicians to dip the present administration and her functionaries into the same ocean of corruption in which they immersed themselves during their own years in office and thereby brought backwardness and untold suffering on our people and state.

“The New Direction Administration of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello has demonstrated levels of Probity and Accountability in public office hitherto unknown in Kogi State and the Number Two citizen hereby warns those who routinely generate and circulate these godforsaken lies against the Administration, his principal or his person to desist forthwith in their own best interests, as they may have a most unpleasant and lengthy sojourn in the cold grips of the law otherwise.