Former Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnayo, has accused Governor Alex Otti of stifling local governments and failing to uphold transparency and accountability in the management of state funds.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Saturday, Chikamnayo accused Governor Otti of diverting local government funds and stifling grassroots development across Abia State.
According to him, “Unfortunately, in Abia, what we have today is that Alex Otti has mopped up the entire funds going to the local governments. He has made sure that the grassroots development is completely, you know, grounded. And he has made it impossible for the local governments to operate and to breathe.”
He further stated that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, only demanded accountability from the governor and was not in any political conflict with him.
“There is no personal issue between Honourable Benjamin Kalu and our dear Governor Alex Otti. But all we are saying, all I’m saying, all Ben Kalu is saying, every member of the Abia community, APC is saying is, Governor Alex Otti, practice what you preach,” Chikamnayo said.
He insisted that what is in the best interest of Abia is “transparency and accountability,” noting that Kalu’s call was justified considering the amount of money available to the state.
“What is in the best interest of Abia is transparency and accountability. And what Honourable Benjamin Kalu asks for is, we know that a lot of money has gone to the states, not just Abia, but to every state. And we know that President Tinubu has done exceptionally well. He has done what Napoleon could not do. He has freed resources. And we know that because of these resources that President Tinubu has given to the states, a lot more is expected of the governors.”
Chikamnayo argued that good governance cannot be judged by rhetoric but by tangible development outcomes. “You cannot say a governor is doing very well based on slogans alone. You can only say a governor is doing very well when you put side by side the resources available to the governor and the deliverables that the governor is able to show to the people. So when the resources are not, you know, pairing up, you know, are not balancing with the deliverables, every citizen has a right to ask questions, not just in Abia, but across the nation.”
He accused Governor Otti of reacting poorly to public calls for transparency and failing to account for billions reportedly spent on projects with no visible results.
“Unfortunately, sadly, tragically, Governor Alex Otti is reacting in a manner that shows that he doesn’t want to be accountable to the people of Abia State. He doesn’t want transparency, and he doesn’t want any Abian to, as much as volunteer on opinion at all,” he said.
“Today in Abia we have over N80 billion spent on public schools and renovation of, repair of schools. And we don’t have even one, not even one smart school to show. We have health centres that are built on paper, N22 billion spent, and we can’t see the thing. We have recreation centres. So when we are seeing this type of money being written away, and then there is nothing on the ground to show for all these billions that have been taken away by the government, we have every right to do what’s right,” he added.
The former commissioner also dismissed allegations of forgery levelled against the Minister of State for Labour, Honourable Nkiruka Onyejocha, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.
“There is no issue of forgery. He has been granted leave to apply for an order of mandamus. He has not applied for the order. It is when he applies for order of mandamus, then we’ll see the details of what he’s applying for. There’s no forgery against Onyejocha as we speak, and there’s even no forgery against INEC,” he said.
Chikamnayo alleged that Honourable Amobi Ogah, who raised the accusation, is “a drowning man trying to drag somebody along.” He explained that Oga’s case in court “is not an election issue” but “an issue of perjury,” adding that “knowing that he’s very close to having his day with justice, he decided to play to the gallery by dragging Honourable Onyejocha into his mess.”
He defended Onyejocha, saying she has remained focused on her duties in the Ministry of Labour despite distractions.
“Right now, everybody knows that she’s doing a lot and she’s doing very well in the Ministry of Labour with her colleague, who is the Minister of State for Labour. And they have initiated the LIBS programme that has to do with employment and she’s driving it passionately and she’s refusing to be distracted.”
Chikamnayo maintained that the court never ordered INEC to prosecute Onyejocha as was reported. “What you said is that leave has been granted to him to apply for an order of mandamus. That’s not an order of mandamus. Leave has been granted to him to make an application. He is yet to make that application, talk less of the court granting an order of mandamus,” he clarified.
The former commissioner concluded by reiterating his call for accountability and good governance in Abia State, insisting that transparency remains key to development.
“Let the local governments operate. Let the local governments breathe. Please let us have more development commensurate with the humongous amount of money that is coming into Abia State. Please let us have more transparency and accountability,” he said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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