This are not the best of times for the Governor of Abia State Okezie
Ikpazu who has just been asked recently by a court to vacate the office
he holds sway as the governor.
The governorship of Okezie Ikpeazu has been a controversial one. First,
he has barely survived a political heat from Mr Alex Otti, APGA
governorship aspirant who many believe won the election in the State,
but the result manipulated to favour Dr. Ikpeazu.
Currently, the governor has been sacked by a court for forgery. One of
the aspirants Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah has dragged Ikpeazu to court
alleging that he falsified his tax clearance certificates. Upon the
courts verdict, the Independent National Electoral Commission presented a
return ticket to Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah
Dr. Okezie’s ordeal could rightly be traced to his affiliation to the
family of the erstwhile governor of Abia State T.A. Orji who many
believe foisted Dr. Okezie Ikpazu on Abians for personal political gains
and as a stooge who will cover the alleged atrocities T.A. Orji
committed in office when he held sway as Abia State Governor.
According to a source who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said
Okezie will not easily know peace because of what he described as
frivolous leadership he inherited and sustained for the his political
godfather:
“For instance when Okezie became the governor and even when the greater
number of the State civil servants were languishing in hunger as a
result of backlog of unpaid salaries, Okezie with his 61 boyish and
frivolous friends were touring round the whole world to watch live
matches, engaging in shopping sprees and throwing parties around. He
took many of his friends to watch Arsenal March in UK and toured USA,
Turkey and many other countries to catch fun. This comes to show a man
who has come to leadership for self-aggrandisement and funfair. The
Okezie I know cannot create wealth or restore by sound policies the
vocations and creativities Abia State youths were known for. He belongs
to the class of politicians that stir youths to boyishness and useless
them for political gains. He has such antecedents and such political
history”
“Dr.Okezie Ikpazu christens his funfair tours and overseas tours with 61
of his friends and family members a search for foreign investors. His
escapades always take him to United Kingdom to watch Arsenal marches
because he is a die-hard supporter of the club. Dr Ikpazu would ditch
state functions and official engagements to sit before a TV screen any
day Arsenal has a football match competition with other clubs”
It was further alleged by our source that the governor could have
mortgaged the future of the state by constantly borrowing to buy his way
and certain favourable judgements.
‘Ask Governor Ikpeazu today to account for N30billion he has previously
borrowed. Just ask him to show you the money borrowed or how he spent
it, you’d be amazed that the greater portion of that money drowned on
frivolous shopping sprees, globetrotting, fun-seeking, reckless
adventures and bribery. I sat down one of those friends he travel with
overseas to know possibly what transpired, he revealed the level of
idiocy that took place where monies are lavishly dashed out and good
dollars spent on drinks and funfair
Another source described the governor’s activities thus:
‘This is a man who will wake up in the morning and tells you he heard
about a particular site somewhere and the next day, you see him there
and then another news you will here is that he’s in so and so place to
bring foreign investors. Damn it, let him tell us the identity of the
investors he came to USA to meet and I will convenient give you details
of how much he paid to gather and stage-manage what you see as meeting
with foreign investors’.
Another source who craved anonymity claimed that to celebrate his
100days in office, Dr.Ikpeazu dished out millions to his relatives to
liaise with local authorities in every community to erect sign boards
making one claim of his achievement or the other. Within Isiala Ngwa
North Axis especially, one could see countless bill boards with slogans
like ‘Ikpeazu’s God sent. “He gave us constant electricity’. ‘Ikpeazu
has given us a new lease of life with his massive roads commissioning’,
etc, yet a journey within Aba city takes you hours because of bad roads.
“Ikpeazu is toeing the footstep of his predecessor whose achievements
were mostly celebrated on TV screens and newspapers more than they are
seen on ground. Frivolity, selfishness, sharing sprees, rascality,
mediocrity has characterised leadership in Abia State within the
Executive and the Legislative arms”.
Source: Abiastatenews.com
