The Abia Patriots, a civic group of residents and taxpayers in the state, has issued a strong rebuttal to social commentator Eric Ikwuagwu over his recent press statement criticizing Governor Alex Otti’s stewardship.
In a press statement signed by its Secretary General, Mazi Adindu Madumere, the group said it was compelled to correct what it described as distorted facts, stressing that it speaks not for any government media team but as citizens who live in Abia, pay taxes, and use the state’s roads, hospitals, and markets.
The group faulted Ikwuagwu’s claim that Abia received “almost N2 trillion” with nothing to show. Madumere pointed out that public budget documents show Abia’s 2025 budget stood at N750.28 billion with 82 percent allocated to capital projects, while the 2026 proposal is N1.16 trillion with 80 percent for capital investment. He added that Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) rose to N15.5 billion in the first half of 2024, a 62 percent year-on-year increase, and that Abia ranked fourth in BudgIT’s 2025 fiscal performance report for IGR growth and capital prioritization.
“Whether one agrees with every line item or not, the data do not support a narrative of zero investment,” Madumere stated.
On the issue of Made-in-Aba goods and the Lagos Invest Summit, the group argued that Ikwuagwu’s assertion that Governor Otti reinforced negative perceptions of Aba-made products was an interpretation, not a transcript. The Patriots pointed to the governor’s approval of immediate reconstruction of access roads to factories like Ultimum Limited in Osisioma and the flag-off of the 11.1-kilometer Obehie–Umudobia–Owaza road to serve the Abia Industrial and Innovative Park.
“Manufacturers need power and roads more than speeches. Those are being delivered,” Madumere noted.
Regarding Geometric Power and electricity, the Patriots acknowledged that the project was initiated under Senator T.A. Orji but insisted that commissioning and distribution matter. Madumere recalled that in February 2024, Abia restored power to 33 communities after nine years of blackout through Geometric, describing the plant as an $800 million private investment now dispatching power.
“Claiming Otti just said it worked ignores the switch-on and the lived experience of Aba businesses now on dedicated feeders,” he argued, while conceding that Abia is not yet enjoying 24-hour electricity everywhere and that honest critique is welcome. However, he maintained that crediting only past administrations while ignoring current delivery is selective history.
On transportation, the group countered Ikwuagwu’s comparison with Enugu’s fleet, stating that Abia launched Nigeria’s first 20 state-owned electric shuttle buses in December 2025, commissioned by World Trade Organization Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Madumere noted that the buses are PWD-compliant, air-conditioned, equipped with surveillance, and ran free during the Yuletide season. He added that Governor Otti has since approved 20 additional electric buses for Aba and Umuahia.
He described Ikwuagwu’s framing of the rollout as a palliative delay as inaccurate, calling it instead a deliberate pivot to zero-emission electric buses.
The statement also addressed the proposed $1.3 billion Abia Medical City, which Ikwuagwu dismissed as comical. Madumere explained that public records show Governor Otti is advancing the project with MKP International Holdings, a 1,000-bed quaternary hospital with research and training facilities, with flag-off scheduled for July 10, 2025.
On roads, the Patriots cited a Premium Times report of 14 new roads and four health projects inaugurated in June 2025, plus the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road and the 67-kilometer Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara-Ohafia road. Madumere noted that Minister of Works Dave Umahi publicly praised Otti’s transformational road work.
For Ariaria Market, he acknowledged the major Public-Private Partnership remodeling under former Governor Ikpeazu but said the current administration’s job is to maintain momentum, provide power, and ensure access roads so traders can compete.
Concluding, Madumere stated: “The Abia Patriots do not carry briefs for any administration. We carry briefs for Abia. Where projects fail, we will say so. Where data is twisted, we must correct it. Governance is a continuum; credit should be shared, but truth must not be sacrificed for partisan talking points.”
Turning directly to the commentator, he wrote: “Your tagline is ‘Just being Honest.’ Honesty demands checking dates, budgets, and on-ground results before painting a governor’s presentation as big blunders. If deception is not your intent, then accuracy should be. If it is, then perhaps that tagline no longer fits, and a different line of work that does not require public trust may serve you better.”
He urged Ikwuagwu to retract misleading assertions, engage facts, and debate policy rather than personalities, insisting that Abia deserves better.
