Hon Obinna Ichita

Hon Obinna Ichita, the lawmaker representing Aba South State Constituency in the Abia House of Assembly, has accused the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led Abia State government of stifling any opposing voice through obnoxious litigations in order to cover its inordinate financial deals.

In a statement he issued in Umuahia on Monday, Ichita cited incidents where he was dragged to court for pointing out some financial irregularities and inadequacies of the Okezie Ikpeazu’s government, saying that though the matter was filed at a High Court in Umuahia, the government has refused to come to court to continue with the prosecution.

The matter, he opined, was instituted at the High Court of Abia State to stop him from asking the government of Abia State to explain how it spent million US dollars it obtained from a world body for the construction of some projects.

His word, “The executive arm of Abia State government essentially wants the Abia State Judicial arm to stop a member of the legislative arm from exercising his constitutional duty of oversight. This absurdity has never been recorded anywhere in the federation, only in Abia State.

“Since we filed our statement of defence alongside our list of witnesses, Abia State government, their agents and their lawyers have refused to come to court.

“While I sympathize with our kith and kin, who are part of the oppressors in Abia State, especially young people, who have been recruited to defend this abnormal level of official brigandage, I must inform everyone who desires a change in Abia State that the new Electoral Act 2022 has provided us with the best opportunity to sack the oppressors in Abia.

“The hackneyed diversionary tactic of the oppressors in Abia is to keep the people distracted with irrelevant and illogical arguments about which zone should “produce” the next Governor while bad governance of our wealth continues unchallenged.

The Oppressors in Abia state don’t want you to ask them why our hospitals are not functional.

“Everyone seems to have forgotten the traders, whose shops were demolished at Ariaria and Ahia Ohuru markets. What about the people whose buildings were demolished along Port Harcourt Road? What is the fate of our pensioners? What has become of those who are owed over 20-month salary arrears? And most importantly, what happens to both the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and the statutory allocation of Abia State from the federal government?! These pointed questions and more of such … should dominate our political discourse.

“Lastly, I plead with every one above the age of 18 to register and obtain her or his Permanent Voter Card (PVC). This plea has become necessary because available data indicates that the preponderance of our people is not registered voters. This of course cannot be divorced from the fact that many young people are despondent and as such have lost faith in the government.

According to Hon Ichita, “as the representative of Aba South, I know of a truth that a large majority of our people is so bitter with the level of poverty and bad governance that they do not want to be associated with anything that has to do with government or elections”

He therefore expressed joy that the propensity for electoral fraud, which is usually orchestrated by the Abia oligarchies, has been thrown overboard.

“The introduction of the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the signing into law of the Electoral Act 2022 means that elections will no longer be the way it used to be. In Abia, It won’t be Ukwa la Nkwa VS Old Bende. It will be more or less a referendum: Accountability and Development vs  Brigandage and Backwardness”, he added.


Credit: thewitness.com