Dike Onwuamaeze
Premium Trust Bank Limited (PTB) has refuted allegations that the Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and his family are among its shareholders.
The bank described allegations the as fabricated, fictitious, and maliciously erroneous.
The bank’s rebuttal was contained in a letter written on their behalf by its solicitors, D.A. Awosika and Partners faulting a story published on February 16, 2023.
Part of the story read: “Branded vehicles, made in the semblance of colours and logos of the All Progressive Congress, are hidden in the premises of the Premium Trust Bank, along Maryam Babangida Way, Asaba. The bank is believed to belong to the Okowa family.”
The story titled: ‘Delta Elections: APC Alleges Plans By PDP to Manipulate BVAS’, further read: “Intention of Okowa and the PDP is to use these vehicles for thuggery, inflict harm and injuries on innocent citizens in other (sic) to bring public opprobrium and hate upon APC as we approach the general elections, he alleged.”
However, the bank’s solicitors described the publication as preposterous and untrue remarks.
They said: “From the said publications, you referred to our client as being involved in corrupt practices in a manner suggesting that our client is engaged in subversive activity in a bid to undermine the ongoing electoral process. Furthermore, from the said publications, you mentioned that the family of the current Governor of Delta State (Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa) is the owner of our client.
“Let it be made known here that our client denies the allegations and references to it contained in your publications aforesaid as fabricated, fictitious, and maliciously erroneous. Your said publications were/are intended to reduce our client’s estimation in the eyes of the public, which our client serves diligently.
“For the records, the Governor of Delta State and his family have no shares in our client. Also there were no vehicles bearing APC logo parked at the premises of our client in Asaba.”
