Prominent elder statesman and respected Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has made scathing remarks about the former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa.

During a statement on Wednesday, Chief Clark referred to Okowa as both a traitor and a highly cunning individual, highlighting a significant rift between the elder statesman and the former governor.

The Ijaw national leader who disclosed this on Wednesday while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Morning Show, revealed that 17 southern governors had, ahead of the 2023 presidential election, resolved to oppose any party that presented a northern presidential candidate in their primaries but Okowa went behind his colleagues to team up with Atiku.

“Let me tell you the reason why the whole of southern Nigeria regards Okowa as a traitor. Let me tell you, he is a betrayer. Okowa volunteered to host a meeting of the 17 governors of the south. He provided accommodation for every one of them,” Clark said.

“He provided his secretariat, I know the person who was the secretary to the government at the time. They were there, they drafted the communique supervised by him and gave it to Akeredolu to read. He read it, then they all went to Lagos to confirm it, they went to Enugu to confirm it, not knowing that the same Okowa was spending our money for Atiku. I asked him in my letter to answer it”.

He added, “The delegates of the PDP primary, who did they vote for? Did they vote for Wike or Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom? They all voted for Atiku. So, he deceived his colleagues that we should produce the president from the south only to team up with Atiku to betray us. All the governors know about that. He is a man who is very ambitious, quiet and gives a wrong impression about himself that he is a very good man. Very crafty man.”