They noted that rather than make concrete efforts towards the development of the State, the Governor has been busy looting the state treasury.
The World Igbo Youth Council, WIYC, on Tuesday called on the people of Abia State not to make the mistake of re-electing Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for a second term in office.
It could be re-called that some groups had few days ago accused Ikpeazu’s govt of reportedly spending over N500m to inspect non existing or mostly uncompleted projects executed by the administration.
This time, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Mazi Alex Okemiri the WIYC said Gov. Ikpeazu had done nothing to guarantee him a second term in office.
They noted that rather than make concrete efforts towards the development of the State, the Governor has been busy looting the state treasury.
.
According to them, “civil servants in Abia State have never had it so hard since the return to democracy in 1999, and the man at the saddle at this point in history, appears unready to bring to table any attempt or strategy to make their lives better.
“Apart from civil servants, pensioners are also groaning with several months of pension arrears. All these are happening despite the several bail out funds and Paris Club refund, as well as the monthly statutory allocation and internally generated revenue.
“It only shows that the Governor is either insensitive to the plight of workers or lacks the wherewithal to govern Abia state”
“May we also point out that the state of infrastructure in Abia State has remained everything but pitiable. We get embarrassed each time picture of terrible state of roads in different parts of the state surface on the social media.
“Most of the Governor’s aides are even richer than the Governor and Abia; we know that Ikpeazu as a person is a good man with intention to promote made in Aba products, but his aides are working at variance with his policies and procedures for governance.
“One of his aides has bought almost all the landed properties in Umuahia and Aba, so it appears Ikpeazu lacks the capacity to discipline these aides who are richer than him.
“We have no option than to drag Ikpeazu’s aides to the EFCC, with all the evidence against them, for them to refund all the looted funds from Abia treasury.
“We observe the pains in the sad faces of Abia people; we have asked what the government has done with the borrowed funds which the Abia house of assembly approved for him, running into billions of Naira.
“Obingwa people are regretting having their son as Governor as there is no single road done in the area; no youth empowerment, there’s high rate of crime in Aba, kidnapping has also returned to Aba.
“In addition to this, it has taken Ikpeazu 34 months to build drainage from Osisioma junction to Aba main park, a 2-kilometre road, yet there’s no hope to complete it.
“This has continued because the current administration is not prepared for governance. As such, it will be a disservice to the people to think of re-electing the governor in 2019.
“We believe and indeed urge the people of Abia State to begin the process of searching for a competent hand that would pull the state out of the doldrums of poverty and bag governance.
“A time has come for the good people of Abia state to do away with god-fatherism. We have seen the adverse effects and cannot continue in such a manner.
“We hereby declare that Abia Government house is vacant for 2019, and warn PDP to replace Ikpeazu or be ready to lose Abia State Government house for the first time since 1999 to APC or APGA.
