Governor Under Fire Over Alleged Use Of Private Residence For Executive Council Meetings, Other Gov’t Functions
The group’s convener, Maduakolam Okorie, condemned the governor’s decision to conduct official state affairs from his private residence, calling it a violation of constitutional provisions.
The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has come under criticism over the alleged continued use of his private residence for official activities after shunning the Government House.
The controversy has sparked reactions from groups and political observers in the state, raising questions about governance practices in Abia State.
For instance, the Abia Good Governance Coalition (ABGGC) has called on Governor Otti to immediately relocate to one of the official Government Houses in the state capital, Umuahia, or its annex in Aba.
The group’s convener, Maduakolam Okorie, condemned the governor’s decision to conduct official state affairs from his private residence, calling it a violation of constitutional provisions.
“The governor’s action flouts constitutional provisions and is actionable,” Okorie stated, questioning why Otti has not moved to the designated Government House despite its availability.
The issue gained more attention when President Bola Tinubu, during a recent public engagement, expressed his disapproval of the situation.
A video had captured Tinubu’s remarks, where he emphasised that state governments now receive significantly higher allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) compared to past administrations.
Continuing, Okorie of ABGGC noted that since assuming office, Governor Otti has allegedly been operating from his private residence in Umuehim Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area.
According to him, state government functions, including Executive Council meetings, Security Council meetings, and receptions for visiting officials, have been conducted at the governor’s private residence.
He argued that this is in direct violation of constitutional provisions that mandate governance be conducted from the official seat of power within the state capital.
Abia State has two designated Government Houses in Umuahia, in addition to an annex in Aba.
Otti’s predecessor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, operated from both the annex in Aba and the main Government House in Umuahia.
Ikpeazu also constructed and furnished a new Government House before leaving office.
Despite these options, Governor Otti has reportedly refused to operate from any of them.
But Governor Otti, while responding to journalists’ question on why he still operates from his private residence 20 months after resumption, cited the dysfunctional state of the Government House Annexes.
Governor Otti had said, “When I inspected both the Governor’s Lodge and the Governor’s Office, they were in terrible states of disrepair and vandalism.
“Renovating them requires significant funds, but I considered it more urgent to channel those resources into infrastructure, security, health, environment and education.”
Meanwhile, adding to the controversy, ABGGC’s Okorie noted that Governor Otti’s administration recently listed N30billion as the cost of running the Government House.
Okorie stated, “Interestingly, the Otti administration recently posted N30 billion as the expenditure on the running of the Government House on the State Government official website, which ironically is his private residence.
“Since then about four large buildings had been erected in his compound to provide office spaces for government officials.
“In addition, sources say the cost of running Otti’s private residence as Government House is a big drain on government purse in terms of providing security including maintaining a contingent of Nigerian Army who provides security in the area plus other logistics involved in moving the whole government team to and from Umuahia for meetings and other briefings.”
He argued that maintaining Otti’s private residence as the Government House is an unnecessary financial burden on the state.
According to Okorie, security costs alone, which include deploying Nigerian Army personnel to guard the premises, along with the logistical costs of transporting government officials between Umuahia and Otti’s residence, are reportedly straining the state’s finances.
When contacted for response to ABGGC’s claims and allegations, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Otti said, “This group doesn’t exist.
“Obviously, it was hurriedly set up to antagonise the government and attract unnecessary attention, therefore we will not dignify them.”
