In order for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to get support in Aso Rock, Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said that he does not have to defect from the Labour Party (LP).
Following the “tsunami defection” that overtook the Peoples Democratic Party’s long-standing organization in Delta State, there have been rumors that Otti may be planning to leave the LP, according to Naija News.
Ifeanyi Okowa, the former governor of Delta State, stated during their formal greeting ceremony that he and his successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, joined the APC in order to link Delta State to the capital, Aso Rock.
However, Otti claimed in an interview with Arise Television that he can approach the seat of power without defecting to the APC.
Otti responded, “I am even closer to the center than some of them,” when asked if he had to leave his own country in order to reach as close to the center as Okowa and Oborevwori did.
Otti has accused former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of taking ₦10 billion out of the state’s coffers to build an airport.
According to Naija News, Governor Otti stated that an audit was how his administration learned about the funds.
During an interview with Arise News, Otti said that Ikpeazu had ordered the construction of an unfinished government home.
According to him, the former Governor committed fraud against the state.
“What happened was that my predecessor commissioned an uncompleted building on the 28 of May. And it’s supposed to be new government house. So what did he do, he completed the ground floor, finished it very well, put Italian furniture in the place, painted it and commissioned it.
“After inauguration, I went there. When I looked at the ground floor, I was very happy. I went to the first and second floors, they were not even plastered, no sanitary fittings, nothing. That’s fraud,” he said.
When asked if he would probe him, he stated that it would be a distraction. The Labour Party Governor noted that he has only four years to govern and has much to do.
He, however, stated that his government wants the former Governor to return the ₦10 billion he withdrew for airport or give the airport.
“You have only four years. And when you get into some of these distracting things, you lose focus. I have too much work to do.Naturally, we called KPMG at one point to probe him. One of the accounts was examined. They discovered that almost ₦10 billion had been taken out for an airport that didn’t exist. We’re merely asking them to return our money or give us the airport for that,” he said.
About The Author
