The Ebonyi State Government, on Tuesday, dismissed in its entirety a web publication (not News Express) which named the State Government among those that allegedly entered 2020 without a budget.

Debunking the report in a statement made available to newsmen in Abakaliki, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Uchenna Orji, described it as a deliberate falsehood and figment of the imagination of those who published it.

He said: “We wish to assert categorically that the State Government under His Excellency Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi, Governor and Chief Executive of Ebonyi State, presented its budget for the 2020 fiscal year on the 13th day of December 2019.

“The budget captioned ‘Budget of Growth, Consolidation and Transformation’ was laid before the Hallowed Chambers of Ebonyi State House of Assembly after a heartwarming Budget Speech presented by the Governor himself. This beautiful 2020 appropriation rendition by the Governor was covered live by Channels television from 2pm to 4pm.”

According to the commissioner, the budget was passed into law by Ebonyi State House of Assembly on Thursday, December 19, 2019 and assented under the hand and seal of the Governor at 12pm the next day in the State Executive Council Chamber, Government House, Abakaliki.

He further said: “The joint press briefing on the details of the Appropriation Law and State action plan was carried out by the Commissioners for Information and State Orientation, Finance and Economic Development as well as Budget Planning Research and Monitoring on the 23rd day of December 2019 by 11am at the Executive Council Chamber Annex.

The details of the budget and budget speech are already in the public domain.

“We therefore advise the members of the public to disregard and discountenance the content of the report of the said media as irresponsible, without foundation and mischievously concocted to mislead and misinform the unsuspecting members of the public.

“We, at this juncture demand a written apology from the operators of media dimensions.live.

In the same vein, the State Government has noted the notorious online circulations and antics of a syndicate who are in the habit of spreading falsehood against the Government of Ebonyi State and who are also the architect of the local news trending online and credited to one Oyirioha Nnamdi, who recently sent a dummy on line to unsuspecting members of the public misrepresenting the statement of the Governor of Ebonyi State on those who hide under partisan politics to malign the leadership of Ebonyi State for selfish reasons.

“In their desperate attempt to cause disaffection against the State Government, they mischievously misrepresented the Governor as saying: ‘I am the only Governor that belongs to PDP and APC’.

“This blackmail is nothing but a cheap and childish fabrication that is irritably displeasing to the sensibilities of the ordinary man. It is a common sense that no one party member in Nigeria can belong to another political party at a time.

“The Governor never said that he belongs to APC. He is unshakably a PDP Chieftain and has been a great party man, whose track records as historic State Party Chairman and currently PDP Governor and leader in Ebonyi State are known and admired by people of good will.

“The Governor only said in the course of his speech that those who are in the habit of hiding under partisan politics to peddle lies against the State Government were on a frolic of their own as people of different political colorations including APC know the virtues of his administration

“It must be noted that the Governor’s style of governance is that of inclusive politics where partisan politics comes and goes but National interest and patriotism are the indispensable principles of his administration.

“The essence of the disclaimer is to put the records straight for the information and right knowledge of the members of the public.”

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