Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. James Okefe, has said the state Deputy Governor, Engr Benson Abounu never helped his political career.According to him, his election as lawmaker in 2015 and subsequent rise to being deputy Speaker of the Benue Assembly was devoid of the support of the Engr Benson Abounu.
In a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Enenche Umele, he “dismissed the claim that the Deputy Governor bankrolled the process of his clinching his party’s nomination as its flag bearer in the 2015 race for the Benue State House of Assembly”
The Okpokwu-born politician also condemned a publication in an online newspaper, Nigeria Concord alleging that he (the Deputy Speaker) had declined an invitation by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu to join a cult group as a pre-requisite condition given by the Deputy Governor to support his political career.
Hon. Okefe said the spurious publication was borne out of sheer mischief and described it as a calculated attempt to sow seeds of discord between himself and Engr. Abounu.
However, former member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP social media team, Mr Emberga Alfred has revealed the Deputy Speaker as the mastermind behind the campaign of calumny against the Deputy Governor.
He said he had been approached by Hon. Okefe’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Enenche Umele to peddle some of the information contained in the said publication on Nigerian Concord online newspaper.
He said, “sometime in June last year I was contacted by one of the media aides to one of the political stewarts in Zone C (Hon. Okefe) with the same publication Nigeria Concord is today claiming it’s ownership”.
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