Ikpeazu Has Weaponized Hunger In Abia – Alex Otti

AISHA ABUBAKAR

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the 2019 general elections in Abia State, Alex Otti, has declared that the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, administration has weaponized hunger and poverty against the people of the State.

The former bank chief, Otti, who made the declaration in a press statement issued in Aba on Sunday evening signed by his Media Assistant, Ferdinand Ekeoma, decried the insincerity of Ikpeazu-led government towards the welfare of Abia civil servants and pensioners.

He claimed that despite tranches of bailout funds and Paris Refund Club accrued to Abia by the Federal Government for the payment of salary arrears owed the State workforce, as well as execution of infrastructural projects, the Governor had decided to impoverished the citizenry.

Parts of the statement read, “I’m pained that workers in many state government owned institutions are being owed up to 15 months salary arrears while pensioners are being owed 32 months pension arrears. This leadership atrocity defeats every pretence of sincerity and seriousness on the side of the Okezie Ikpeazu led government. No unmotivated workforce can give a healthy output.

“To add insult to injury, the government, in an unpatriotic bid to abandon its responsibility, has brought a destructive dichotomy that is alien to our civil service by introducing what it calls “Core and Non Core Civil Servants. That after receiving over 30 Billion naira in Bailout fund and Paris Club refunds, not to mention the hundreds of billions that have accrued to the state as Federal allocations and internally generated revenues, and yet the Governor just set up a committee to look into these unpaid arrears, shows that the Ikpeazu led government does not care about the welfare of our suffering people, let alone the general development of the state.”

“On August 29, I was present at the governorship tribunal to witness the adoption of final written addresses in the suit my party and I filed against the declaration of Ikpeazu as Governor by INEC. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a ground for display of primitive hooliganism by women and youths hired by the government to come and constitute nuisance in Court.”

“At the premises of the Court, the hoodlums who were dressed in Ikpeazu’s campaign attires were seen and loudly heard insulting me with their derogatory songs, but they were overwhelmed by progressive Abians who freely trooped out to the Court to support our sincere search for leadership direction through civilized means.

“Ironically, while the hired sycophants were doing the demeaning hatchet job at the court premises, hundreds of pensioners had barricaded the gate of Government House Umuahia protesting against the non-payment of their 32 months pension arrears. So who is deceiving who?”

“However, we do not begrudge those few misguided Abians, because in a state where hunger has been weaponized, and many lacking three square meals a day, it takes rare courage, discipline and grace of God to refuse to prostrate under the slave master’s table, therefore let’s support, encourage, inspire and educate such brethren to realise that with the present scenario, their future and those of their children are doomed” Otti concluded.

Recall that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had during his Statewide broadcast to mark the 28th Anniversary of the creation of Abia State held on August 27th, assured the people of the State that his administration will complete every ongoing infrastructural projects before the expiration of his second term.