Otti rebukes Ikpeazu for appointing LG transition chairmen in Abia State

 

…Calls on the FG, National and State Assembly Legislators to intervene

 

BY OUR REPORTER

The All Progresssives’ Grand Alliance (APGA) 2019 gubernatorial candidate in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has firmly rebuked the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, for appointing transition committee chairmen for local government areas in the state.

Otti said he was disappointed with the news of the appointment of 17 LGA Transition Committee Chairmen and their Deputies by the Abia State governor at a time the Federal Government was making genuine effort to get the local governments across the Federation more effective and working for the grassroots.

“We are disappointed because we are very much aware that the Federal Government had taken measures aimed at ensuring that allocations for LGAs go straight to their accounts, vowing to punish those who fail to utilize such funds prudently for the development of their councils.

“The Federal Government also made it clear that it would not tolerate the appointment of TC Chairmen to manage the affairs of various LGAs as that would give state governors the opportunity to manipulate the LGAs, and possibly mismanage the LGA funds,” Otti said in a statement issued today by his media assistant, Ferdinand Ekeoma.

He, consequently, called on the Federal Government, Abia legislators at the National Assembly and the state legislators to impress on Governor Ikpeazu to reverse the decision and instead conduct a proper election across the state to elect local government chairmen with their deputies and the councilors.

The APGA governorship candidate and leader of the party in Abia State said allowing Governor Ikpeazu to continue to meddle with the affairs of the local governments in Abia State will amount to continued underdevelopment of the state and its people.

“Abia has one of the worst records in workers and pensioners’ welfare in the Federation, with workers in the state government-owned institutions and pensioners being owed up to 10 months salary and 22 months pension arrears, respectively. Thus, we did not expect that this government would resort to taking actions that would aggravate the sorry state of things in the state, especially at the grassroots,” Otti said.

The statement further stated: “That having had LGA Chairmen, both elected and appointed whose revenue allocations were controlled by the Ikpeazu led government and whose scorecards were extremely disastrous, it would amount to leadership insensitivity for the Okezie Ikpeazu led government to insist on toeing same undemocratic path that harms the general well-being of the people.

“That the alarming unemployment rate and general underdevelopment of the state have propelled rural-urban migration to an alarming level, leading to high level of insecurity, such as armed robbery, kidnappings, cultism and prostitution in the state.

“That if the Ikpeazu led government truly upholds both the principle of separation of powers and transparency, as it repeatedly claims, it should concentrate on areas within its jurisdiction and allow the third tier of government, LGAs, to freely and effectively utilise their resources in working for the people at the grassroots, while the State and LGA legislatures provide oversight functions on them.

“That there are already reports from reliable sources of alleged plan by the state government to use the TC Chairmen as conduit to loot revenues meant for the local governments as has been the case.”