(Left-right) Omimi Esquire, Political Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Vincent Uduaghan, Delta State Commissioner for Transport, Matthew Mofe Edema, Warri South Chairman, Omawumi Beatrice Udoh, member representing Warri South Constituency 1 in the Delta State House of Assembly, and her daughter during the town hall meeting, today.

By Francis Sadhere

Member Representing Warri South Constituency 1 in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Omawumi Beautrice Udoh has denied reports that the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission’s (DESOPADEC) budget was padded.

According to Udoh, the commission’s budget was never padded, explaining that what happened was that most projects in the budget were concentrated in one community instead of being spread to all the communities.

The House of Assembly  member who spoke during a town hall meeting she organized in Warri, yesterday, noted that the anomaly is being corrected at the state house assembly. She assured her constituent that the storm was over and that better days are coming ahead.

It will be recalled that Oil producing communities in Delta State, had alleged that the government and House of Assembly were hijacking funds accruing to the Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).

The allegation came against the backdrop of a controversy over the non-passage of DESOPADEC’s N28 billion 2016 budget barely three months to end of the year.

There were also allegations that some principal officers of the Assembly demanded N1 billion  ‘allocation’ to facilitate the budget’s passage.

She called on all PDP members in Warri South council area to be united and come together as one, saying that now that their son was not longer the governor of the state, they stand to lose if they keep fighting one another.

She said, “I believe in my people and I love my people. It is time for a complete change and revolution in Warri South local government area. We need to come together and fight as one indivisible entity. Whatever happened in the past should remain in the past. If we are united, nothing will pass us by. But if we continue to bicker against one another we will be the ones to lose.”

Udoh appealed to all those she might have offended in one way or the other during the election, stressing the election has come and gone and it was time for everybody to come together and think of how to develop the constituent.

The town hall meeting, according to her, was to brief her constituents about her activities for past years and also to brainstorm on how to move the constituency forward.

Udoh received both commendation and condemnation about her activities in the house during the town hall meeting that was well attended by people from her constituent.