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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abia State chapter and former Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, has urged citizens of the state to remain vigilant and continuously hold the administration of Governor Alex Otti accountable.
Ikonne hinged his appeal on what he described as persistent financial inconsistencies and lack of transparency in the administration of the incumbent state governor.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday, he expressed deep shock over the alleged earmarking of N210 million in the Abia State budget for the purchase of a photocopier, an action the state government has since attempted to dismiss as a “typographical error.”
The government, while refuting the allegation that it budgeted N250 million for the purchase of a photocopier at its Lagos Liaison Office, through a statement by the State Ministry of Budget and Planning, described the claim as “misleading and the result of a formatting error in the 2026 budget document.”
However, reacting to the development, Ikonne said it is alarming that an administration led by a governor who prides himself as a seasoned banker and former bank chief executive, with a lifetime background in finance, accounting, and figures, could repeatedly commit such grave “errors” in public financial documents.
“This is exactly how Abia money is written off. If Abians had not paid attention and raised questions, this whopping sum would have quietly disappeared,” Ikonne stated.
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He further questioned why a government constantly parading itself as being run by technocrats could be making such random and costly mistakes, recalling a previous incident where about N1.2 billion was reportedly marked as a typographical error for the purchase of Hilux vehicles.
Prince Ikonne also raised concerns about other budgetary figures that Abians may not have noticed throughout the two and a half years of Governor Otti’s administration, warning that what has come to light may only be a fraction of deeper financial irregularities.
“The Otti administration is fast gaining notoriety for financial inconsistencies, padding, and attempts to siphon the common patrimony of Ndi Abia under the guise of errors,” he said.
Ikonne wondered how N210 million and N12 million could be mistaken for each other, further querying what kind of photocopier would even cost N12 million. While drawing a practical comparison, he noted that business centres along Pound Road in Aba, where large volumes of documents are handled daily, do not operate photocopiers anywhere near that cost, let alone a government liaison office with minimal paperwork.
“Abia government is insensitive to the plights of Abia with huge resources and amounts of money being received from the Federal Government as a result of the policy of Mr President,” he said.
The APC chieftain also questioned the fate of the already presented and passed budget, asking how such glaring discrepancies would now be reconciled as implementation commences.
He further expressed concern over major projects allegedly funded with enormous sums, including claims that about N100 billion has been spent on smart schools that are yet to be seen, as well as the controversial N7 billion recreational centre, which he described as existing largely on social media.
