Be vigilant, hold govt. accountable, Ikonne tells Abia residents
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State and immediate-past Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, has called
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State and immediate-past Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, has called on the people to continue to hold the State Government accountable.
He said Abians must remain vigilant over what he described as persistent financial inconsistencies and lack of transparency of Governor Alex Otti’s administration.
Ikonne spoke on Monday in Abuja when he expressed deep shock over the inclusion of ₦210 million in the Abia State budget allegedly earmarked for the purchase of a photocopier, an action the State Government has since dismissed as a “typographical error.”
Advertisement
300x250
The Ministry of Budget and Planning, had described the allegation that the government budgeted N250 million for the purchase of a photocopier at its Lagos Liaison Office as "misleading and the result of a formatting error in the 2026 budget document."
Ikonne lamented an administration led by a Governor who prides himself as a former bank chief executive with a lifetime background in finance, accounting, and figures, would 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.
He further questioned how a government that constantly parades itself as being run by technocrats could be making such random and costly mistakes, recalling a previous incident where about ₦1.2 billion was reportedly marked as a typographical error for the purchase of Hilux vehicles.
The APC chief 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.
Advertisement
300x250
Ikonne wondered how ₦210 million and ₦12 million could be mistaken for each other, further querying what kind of photocopier would even cost ₦12 million.
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.
He accused the government of being insensitive to the plates of Abia’s resources with huge amounts of money being received from the federal government as a result of the policy of Mr. President.
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 ₦100 billion has been spent on smart schools that are yet to be seen, as well as the controversial ₦7 billion recreational centre, which he described as existing largely on social media.