Members of the All Progressives Congress under the aegis of Abia Interest Group have warned Governor Alex Otti to stop allegedly funding the legal case of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the group reiterated its claim that if the state governor was allowed to continue funding Obi’s presidential case, it would have a negative effect on the economy, welfare and development of the state.
Otti is the only serving governor on the platform of the Labour Party.
But the leadership of the Labour Party told The PUNCH in an exclusive interview that there was no iota of truth in the claim, saying the former Anambra State governor is funding his legal battle alone.
Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election, is currently challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in court.
A spokesman for the APC group, Henry Chigozie, said the funding of Obi’s case could also deprive their people of the dividends of democracy.
He said, “We, the Abia Interest Group, have observed with dismay that Mr. Alex Otti is funding the presidential court case of Mr Peter Obi with Abia money. This is unacceptable. In Otti’s Abia, transparency and accountability have been relegated to the background. No one knows the costs of projects or contractors working on projects in Abia.
“This is to continuously siphon and inflate project cost so that Mr Alex Otti can be using Abia funds to sponsor Labour Party operations across Nigeria in his nefarious desire to destabilise the progressive government of Nigeria under the able leadership of President Asiwaju Tinubu.
“In view of the foregoing, we wish to draw the attention of the nation, well-meaning Abians and the relevant security agencies to these sinister activities and urge all concerned to take necessary steps to ensure that the interest of our great state and nation is not jeopardised.”
Another Abia stakeholder, Dr. Stephen Ukpai-Ukwa, said the Labour Party-led government should bear in mind that the youths of the state were watching and would resist any act that would endanger the wellbeing of the people.
“Mr. Governor should know that Abia youths will resist any act that will cause problems between us and the President of Nigeria. We will resist any act that will endanger the lives of Abia people.
“So, any act that will lead to the mismanagement of Abia State funds should stop forthwith,” he stated.
