Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have come under fire by opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state. The opposition party is demanding that Ikpeazu should account for a balance of about N40 billion his administration received in his one year in office as projects on ground do not justify their costs.

APGA also berated Ikpeazu and the PDP, saying their quest for foreign investors was a mere jamboree for frittering away state resources.

Briefing newsmen at the Ikot-Ekpene road secretariat of APGA, Wednesday, the state party chairman, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, said the party after taking stock of Ikpeazu’s performance since he assumed office, has come to the conclusion that “the present government has taken the disastrous path to failure by completely abandoning its primary responsibilities to the people of the state.”

Ehiemere listed these primary responsibilities to include payment of workers’ and pensioners salaries as well as provision of infrastructure.

He alleged that the Ikpeazu administration received over N60 billion revenue in one year and spent N28 billion on wages, arguing that projects on ground do not reflect the balance of the money.

“The little few road projects on ground which are the only achievements of the present government, cannot in anyway justify the aforementioned revenue gotten by government,” Ehiemere said, adding that “This leaves glaring traces of mis-governance and misappropriation of

funds widely suspected in Abia.”

APGA went further to allege that there was a “complete halt in government activities at the local governments in the state, especially in the areas of project execution and payment of workers’

salaries.

“This shows that the allocation being given to these local governments develop wings immediately they are received by the state.

“Unfortunately, this unjust practice has continued unabated while the people at the grassroots suffer untold hardship as a result of under-development. Workers and pensioners are subjected to the worst form of indignation and oppression due to non-payment of salaries,” Ehiemere said.

The party was also of the view that “the complete halt and inactivity of the state, in spite of continuous inflow of revenues gives credence to the allegation of diversion of funds belonging to Abia by the PDP-led government.”

Pained by the plight of workers and pensioners who were being owed arrears of salaries and the untold hardship inflicted on their families and dependants, APGA warned that if the trend continues, “we shall be left with no choice than to approach the Federal Government and the National Assembly to consider taking over the process of payment of Abia workers’ salaries, since Okezie Ikpeazu and the PDP have completely but willingly brought government to a halt in Abia.”

The opposition party said although it was aware of the parlous state of the economy nationwide, Abia still receives substantial allocation to fulfill its obligations of salary payment and even execute projects if the state resources was being prudently managed.

APGA further argued that Abia would have been accessing greater volumes of internally-generated revenue if the government had blocked all leakages.

Ehiemere also queried the genuineness of the state government in procuring the N1 billion World Bank agricultural loan as “nothing has been heard of the money again since the state government got hold of it,” describing the development as “sabotage against farmers who were in dire need of funds.

He recalled that when Ikpeazu assumed office, he was globe-trotting with a retinue of aides and associates, claiming to be shopping for investors.

“Unfortunately,” Ehiemere said, “up till this moment, not even a single investor has been sighted in any part of Abia after millions of Naira of tax payers money has been frittered away.”

“We know that Ikpeazu and the PDP were not interested in bringing investors, else they would have confronted the challenges that discourage investors like multiple taxation, insecurity, etc, with appreciable seriousness,” he added.

Though APGA said it does not hold Ikpeazu “entirely responsible” for the total collapse of infrastructure in the state but blamed it on PDP’s years of “destructive and inhuman leadership.” It also blamed the governor for failing to show “courage and capacity in charting a new and well-thought-out democratic course,” which, it argued, was responsible for near total collapse and abandonment of infrastructure in the state.

However, an aide of the governor, Enyinnaya Appolos, denied that the governor’s foreign trips were to shop for investors. He did not elaborate.

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