Following the commissioning of Geometric Energy in Osisioma by President Bola Tinubu final week, media area in Abia State has been taken over by a raging verbal struggle between loyalists to former Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and people of the current Governor, Alex Otti.
The topic of the media conflict is the 5% stake which the aides and shut allies of the previous governor mentioned was acquired by Okezie Ikpeazu in Geometrics Energy, on behalf of the Abia State authorities.
Based on the Ikpeazu’s allies, who embody John Okiyi Kalu, Onyebuchi Ememanka, Enyinnaya Appolos, Chinonye Mba, and these days, Don Ubani, the Otti administration ought to verify the mentioned funding.
Based on the argument produced by the Ikpeazu facet, the Abia State authorities throughout the administration of the Obingwa-born former governor, acquired a 5% stake in Geometrics price $5m with about $3.6m allegedly paid to Geometrics already, representing about 71% in fee.
The Ikpeazu facet additionally berated the Abia State authorities and the Chairman of Geometrics, Professor Barth Nnaji for allegedly not crediting Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration with the roles it performed within the energy mission whereas he was answerable for the State.
Of their additional arguments, the mentioned funding was made with Abia folks’s cash and ought to be protected.
Aside from these, a former Commissioner for info and in addition former Commissioner for commerce and funding in Abia State, John Okiyi Kalu, additionally made an allegation on his Fb web page, the place he claimed that the State authorities awarded a 9.0km highway contract that connects Abiriba to Etitiama Nkporo, even when such highway had already been performed and handed over to the communities by the earlier administration of Okezie Ikpeazu.
He additionally challenged the Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on restoration of presidency properties and funds to analyze the acclaimed Abia State authorities funding in Geometric.
However responding to the claims made by the Ikpeazu facet, media aides to Governor Alex Otti dismissed the reported investments in Geometrics, saying that no paperwork about such investments had been handed over to the current administration by Ikpeazu.
On the facet of Governor Otti’s defence group are Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Particular Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dodoh Okafor, Particular Assistant to the Governor on Particular Communications, amongst others.
Addressing the matter, Ekeoma mentioned: “At this level, we shouldn’t have any doc, any info.
“So, so long as we shouldn’t have any doc, what it implies is that to the perfect of our data, such doesn’t exist”,
Ekeoma accused the previous governor of allegedly deploying his former and serving aides to assault the current administration within the State, saying that the opposition social gathering, Peoples Democratic Social gathering, PDP, was jealous of achievements recorded by Governor Alex Otti within the Geometric energy mission.
He slammed the previous administration and aides to the previous Governor, for allegedly partaking in “primitive propaganda and rehearsed picture laundering” for his or her boss.
Ekeoma, who recalled how folks’s property had been destroyed at Port Harcourt highway in Aba by the earlier administration with out compensation, mentioned those that introduced ache to the folks can not distract Governor Otti.
Intervening on the matter throughout an interview with Channels TV final week, Governor Otti mentioned he was conscious of the continuing media arguments regarding 5% funding which the Abia State authorities was mentioned to have made within the Geometric energy mission.
Requested to clarify Okezie Ikpeazu’s roles in Geometric mission, Governor Otti mentioned, “It’s tough for me to say, however I’m conscious he joined the Geometric administration group to South Africa someday in 2018 or 2019 to signal a mortgage settlement of about $50m a part of which was used to settle the dispute between Geometric and EEDC.
“However the data obtainable to me don’t present that the federal government assured that mortgage. So, the mortgage was given behind the belongings of Geometric.”
The Governor made it clear that he didn’t have any doc in regards to the 5% funding, as no such doc was handed over to him.
He nevertheless mentioned that he had directed his Commissioner for finance and the Accountant Normal to undergo and discover out if there was any fact to the acclaimed 5% fairness funding within the energy firm, including that Geometric was within the higher place to reply particularly to the argument.
