Over 50,000 Delta State Pensioners Converged, Sends Strong Message To Okowa
Delta State pensioners and retirees under the umbrella of Association of Contributory Retirees (ACR) have accused the state governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice presidential candidate in the general elections, Ifeanyi Okowa, of wanting their death so that he can enjoy the fruits of their labour and services to the state.
The association with over 50,000 members across the 25 local governments of the state made this known on Wednesday during a town hall meeting, adding that, “The governor of Delta State and the PDP vice presidential candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa wished pensioners and retirees in the state death, hence he blatantly refused to pay our gratuities and pensions and other entitlements due us.”
According to the association, following the crude and heartless way and manner Okowa had treated the senior citizens of the state, who he wished to die without enjoying the fruits of their labour, his aspiration of becoming the vice president of the country was doomed before its actualisation.
Speaking on behalf of fellow pensioners and retirees in the state, chairman, Association of Contributory Retirees (ACR), Mrs Helen Ejieh, disclosed that the association had over fifty thousand members across the twenty-five council areas of the state that would vote against and kill the political ambition of Okowa.
She said “We have over five thousand local government retirees. I am not talking about the state. When we talk of local government retirees, I mean those that retired from primary schools, and those that worked in the council. But as you can see here today, these are just a little percentage of those that retired from primary school. Council workers are not even here.
“As you can see, we have already started doing our work and we know by the grace of God that if it’s only the cry of senior citizens like us, God will hear our cry and God will take Governor Okowa down. At a time, he deceived us that he wants to give us N10 billion if he borrows money. So, when he went to borrow, we calculated that N10 billion to end in 2016. Yet the man borrowed N150 billion today, and N200 billion tomorrow.
Look at the recent one now; just throwing Delta State money anyhow not even remembering that we are living.
“Okowa wants us dead but we don’t want to die. We are not going to die. All our members have their PVCs. Like I told them; at our age today if you count the number of people that will vote, I think we have a large number. Let me explain. I can vote as a retiree; is it not? And so many of us here. All my children are at the age of voting, they must vote. My pain is their pain. Some of us here have grandchildren that are of the age of voting, they are crying. Even my own family and my husband’s family are crying. So, they will vote because of me. So, we have large numbers of people that will vote for you sir,” she said.
