Abia PDP: Resignation of Key Commissioners Validates Our Stance on Abnormalities in Otti's Administration | #NwokeukwuMascot

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Umuahia, Abia State - In a significant political development, two commissioners from the cabinet of Abia State Governor Alex Otti have resigned, highlighting ongoing concerns over alleged financial irregularities within the state government. The commissioners, Mr. Chima Oriaku and Prof. Monica Ironkwe, who oversaw the Ministries of Science & Technology and Agriculture, respectively, announced their resignations following disputes over unexplained and substantial expenditure headings.

The statement, signed by Elder Abraham Amah, Abia PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, asserts that the resignations validate their long-standing criticisms of the Otti administration's financial transparency. According to the PDP's intelligence, both commissioners faced mounting pressure from journalists and constituents to explain the massive expenditures recorded in their ministries' quarterly financial reports, of which they claimed to have no knowledge. When they sought answers from Governor Otti and received insufficient explanations, they chose to step down to preserve their reputations.

The PDP statement, titled “Resignation of Alex Otti’s Commissioners Vindicates PDP’s Position on Bogus, Unexplained, and Unverifiable Expenditure Headings,” highlighted inconsistencies in the treatment of government officials. For instance, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, who is currently under suspension and investigation, has neither been dismissed nor pressured to resign, in stark contrast to Oriaku and Ironkwe. This discrepancy further intensifies scrutiny of the administration's governance practices.

The statement reads in full, “The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to the resignation of two commissioners from the cabinet of Abia governor, Alex Otti. The Commissioners are Mr. Chima Oriaku and Prof. Monica Ironkwe, Commissioners for Science & Technology and Agriculture, respectively. This information was contained in a release issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Ukoha Njoku.  

“The Abia PDP intel authoritatively revealed that the two commissioners resigned their appointments following disagreements with governor Alex Otti over the huge sums of money that were assigned to expenditure headings within their ministries and the projects which they knew nothing about. The two commissioners had in the past months been inundated with questions from journalists and their constituents about the huge sums of money in some expenditure headings in their Ministries quarterly financial reports, which they were unable to explain. It was at this point that they approached the governor for answers which he could not provide and they elected to leave the cabinet with their reputations intact. 

“For instance, the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability SEFTAS Q2 expenditure report, as published by the Abia State government on the state website, indicated that whopping sums of N3.4b and N1.6b were spent on the building of ICT centres and agricultural facilities, respectively, and these commissioners claimed that they knew nothing about them. Abia PDP can confirm from very reliable sources that this is the main reason why the two commissioners were pressured to resign and shows a growing display of the governor’s known aversion to tolerance of differing opinions. 

“Recall that Abia PDP had raised alarm several times about the unverifiable expenditure headings found on the SEFTAS, like the ICT building for N3.4n, hospital equipment for N2.6b, agric facilities for N1.6b, and renovation of public schools for N4.7b, and the insensitive spending of N11.5b to run the governor’s office from his private residence, as well as the collection of N927m as security votes monthly for a governor that made a song of “I will not collect security votes as a governor” during the campaigns, among others. 

“The circumstances surrounding the resignation of the two commissioners have vindicated the Abia PDP about its concerns regarding the accountability and transparency quotients of this government, which it has always known to be minus zero, and have also spiked more speculations about the imminent reshuffling of the Alex Otti cabinet, which Abia PDP intelligence gathers, has been in confusion and disarray as the commissioners complain that they are not carried along in the direction and execution of policies.  

“The resignation of two commissioners within one year of the government of Alex Otti is nothing but a vote of no confidence in his government and growing concerns about his democratic credentials as everything about his government is opaque and shrouded in secrecy. 

“The resignations also throw more light on the confusion in the Alex Otti administration, especially as these two commissioners were never queried for any infractions or even misdemeanour, and the fact that the commissioner for health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, who has been on suspension and under investigation, was not sacked or pressured to resign alongside the two that left, and the Finance Commissioner, who made an open boast about collecting Abia’s N10m every month just to go to Abuja for FAAC meetings.

“We call on the good people of Abia State to always demand for accountability from their government and ensure that they remain eternally vigilant for the sake of our hard-earned democracy. 

“The Abia PDP will continue to serve as a viral opposition and shadow government to check the opaque nature of this administration, and we call on the good people of Abia to pressure the government to be more responsible and open in the conduct of Abia government business.PDP: Power to the People!” It concluded.