Yala Crisis: Okem’s ₦8 Million Gamble Backfires as Stakeholders Abandon Ship

In a desperate bid to cling to power amid mounting political turbulence, the embattled and recently impeached Chairman of Yala Local Government, Hon. Fred Okem, reportedly borrowed a whopping ₦8 million from a prominent son of Ukelle yesterday.

According to insider sources, the money was carefully “budgeted”: ₦6 million earmarked for councilors’ transport and hotel logistics, while the balance ₦2 million was meant to grease the wheels of “miscellaneous” expenses — a familiar euphemism in Nigerian politics.

But this carefully crafted plan collapsed faster than a house of cards this morning when Boniface Okache, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Otu and Okem’s only known political lifeline, allegedly released just ₦1 million to the councilors.

Expectedly, this development has not only frustrated the councilors, who are now stranded between political loyalty and unpaid hotel bills, but it has also deepened Okem’s woes. Stakeholders who once pretended to tolerate him have reportedly abandoned ship, leaving him with nothing but Boniface Okache’s “one-man support group.”

For Okem, the money is gone, the councilors are angry, and the stakeholders are missing in action.

At the moment, Okem is not Okay. 🤣