In an official statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon, it was made clear that there is no cold war between these two prominent leaders and the purported disagreement concerning the appointment of two commissioners is deemed baseless and a product of the author's imagination.
Characterizing the published information as nothing short of falsehood and an unnecessary attempt at generating undue sensationalism, Ahon reiterated that the Governor intends to appoint both remaining Commissioners at the appropriate time, underlining the harmonious nature of the relationship between the two leaders.
“We have read with great dismay, the unsavoury and sensational report on an imaginary cold war between Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, as published by Daily Times Newspapers.
He said: “We condemn the hatchet job and its unappetising and distasteful content as it is a clear imagination concocted by the reporter.
“The report in itself woefully fell short of journalism ethics as no attempt was made by the reporter to seek clarification on the alleged cold war between both leaders.
“While Governor Oborevwori holds his predecessor, Senator Okowa and other leaders in high esteem, reports of imaginary disagreements over appointments of two Commissioners are untrue.
“As professional journalists, the ethics of the profession demand that the newspaper should have sought the opinion of the dramatis personae before going to the press but that was not the case.
“We, therefore, call on the said newspaper to withdraw the said publication as it is a clear misrepresentation of facts”.
