Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has reminded his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu, that defecting to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) will not prevent anti-corruption agencies from investigating him over the massive debt incurred by his administration.
On Thursday, Governor Otti stated that the Ikpeazu administration left him a debt of approximately N191,239,307,593.67 through his Special Adviser on Finance, Mike Akpara.
At the briefing, Akpara was joined by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma; the State Accountant General, Mrs. Njum Onyemenam; and the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko.
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Akpara denied assertions made by former Governor’s aides that the previous administration left N24 billion and another $250 million for the incumbent administration.
Reading a prepared speech entitled: “Abia Financial Status: Separating Ikpeazu’s Fictions,” Akpara said: ”The Alex Otti led-government woke up to the shocking news of the several billions of naira allegedly left behind for the Alex Otti led-government by the former government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
“We waited to see if Ikpeazu or his Spokespersons would refute the false and offensive claims, but to no avail, rather we saw astronomical increase in the number of his allies and former aides circulating the fake news with the intention to misrepresent facts and deceive the public, especially workers and pensioners whom he treated with utter disdain and disregard.
“For the records, the public should note thus: The Okezie Ikpeazu-led government did not leave any N24 billion in the account of Abia state government as they falsely claimed.
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“The $200 million and $50 million dollars they claimed they left for the new administration are loans they were pursuing which is yet to crystalize.
“Outside the humongous financial liabilities left behind by the Ikpeazu-led government, they also left physical liabilities in all our key institutions. For example; our University Teaching Hospital lost accreditation for the first time in history.
“Our only state Polytechnic also lost accreditation. The regulatory authorities predicated their action against these institutions on non-payment of salaries, lack of equipment and lack of infrastructure.
“Poor internal generation of revenue, with the little they generated frittered away in payment to consultants for no added value. They pay as much as 20% which is highly unethical.
“Doctors who have been on strike since February 2023 just called off their strike, and they emphatically stated that they based their decision on their conviction that Governor Otti would solve the problem that necessitated the strike action.
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“The elementary question is: if Ikpeazu had the billions he claimed to have left behind for the Otti led-government in April and May, why did he not pay workers and pensioners before leaving office, since Governor Otti just took over from him on the 29th of May 2023?
“If Ikpeazu is trying to preempt anti-corruption agencies by making such provocative false claims, he should know that they work with facts and figures, therefore, even if he runs into the APC to seek refuge as he is planning to do, these anti corruption agencies would pursue and bring him to justice from there.”
Otti went on to say that the Ikpeazu government plundered the state treasury and “picked the N2.8 Sure-P fund that dropped into the State’s account three days before Ikpeazu left office.”
He said that if not for the frantic efforts of some of his (Otti’s) Aides, the ex-Governor and his agents would have collected additional N3 billion in Joint Allocation money that flowed to the state on the day of Ikpeazu’s leaving.
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He said that anti-corruption authorities were already on their tail, and that some of his bankers had previously testified before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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