Barely seven days to the March 11, 2023 governorship election in Abia State, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Aham Uko, has secretly paid a solidarity visit to the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Dr. Alex Otti.
The visit took place last night at Otti’s Nvosi home, in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state. Both leaders, it was reliably gathered, held extensive discussions bothering on the forthcoming polls.
A source privy to the development, who craved anonymity as he was not permitted to speak to the press, confirmed that both leaders have been holding private telephone conversations before now.
The source noted that Uko was visibly elated over the outcome of the just concluded Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency election, where LP’s Obi Aguocha defeated the current Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, who was candidate of his(Uko’s) Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“Uko is happy that LP won instead of the Speaker. He said over his dead body will the T.A. Orji’s family turn Abia to Lagos, like Tinubu,” the source said, adding, “Uko is unhappy over the way the leadership of the party allegedly treated other aspirants during the primaries to impose their preferred aspirants on the people.”
It was also gathered that commissioner Uko has agreed to bankroll the Labour Party candidate, Alex Otti in the March 11, 2023 Abia state governorship election, in return for an appointment in the former banker’s government, if he wins.
However, Igbere TV could not immediately confirm how the commissioner hope to execute the plan. But the source told Igbere TV Uko parted with some cash, during the course of the meeting, apparently the first tranche of the sponsorship.
Uko has been in the news lately for allegedly collecting kickbacks from government parastatals and agencies before releasing their monthly subvention as approved by the Governor.
It was gathered that the embattled commissioner directs affected individuals and firms to pay the kickbacks into his two companies’ bank accounts domiciled with the United Bank for Africa and Unity Bank Plc.
An official of one of the identified agencies (name of firm withheld), who craved anonymity due to sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the extortions from the Abia State Finance Commissioner to this Newspaper.
“We are usually forced to pay in a certain percentage of the accrued contract as kickback else, we may be denied the next payments,” the official said, admitting some of the bank account details in a chat with this Reporter.
The account details include; Cosmariana Logistics, 0026436333, domiciled with Unity Bank; Achepelago Resources, 2133787641, domiciled with UBA Plc; and Voltage Fast Resources, 2133787074, also domiciled with UBA Plc.
“These are part of the reasons some agencies of government are having outstanding arrears of salaries as money meant for their salaries are constantly being shared by the same Commissioner,” the official added.
A search on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal reveals signatories to these affected bank accounts and the aforementioned companies to include the Commissioner, Aham Ukoh and his wife, Mrs. Ukoh.
Efforts by IGBERE TV to speak with him as at the time of filing this report proved abortive.
