The rate of recovery of the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (Ph.D), who has been receiving treatment for coronavirus (COVID-19) for over a week, has not been as fast as expected because he has a complication, New Express learnt over the weekend.

Dr. Ikpeazu was flown out of Abia for Abuja on June 6 in search of a cure, with one of his aides, Eninnaya Appolos, announcing on Facebook four days later that he was recovering fast and had expressed optimism to soon return to work. Appolos wrote: “At exactly 5:18pm, Wednesday, 10th June, 2020, he said to me: “Nna, I’m very fine. Unu jide stage, very soon I will be back. I’m doing fine.”

However, neither the governor nor any photo or footage showing the level of his recovery has been seen since then.

Contrary to the impression given by Mr. Appolos, “the governor is seriously sick,” according to a source close to the Abia State Government House, Umuahia.

Another source told News Express over the weekend that Ikpeazu is suffering from diabetes. “His situation is complicated by his diabetes,” the source said.

Ikpeazu, who handed over to his deputy before proceeding for treatment in a private facility in the nation’s capital, has not seen in public for weeks. His case appears to be much more serious than that of the three other state governors who contracted COVID-19 before him. Apart from personally announcing their status on camera and assuring their subjects as they proceeded for treatment, those governors – Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) – continued to work while undergoing treatment. All three have since been successfully treated and returned to work.

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