Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has said he will not invite a former Commissioner for Information in the state , Barr. Chikamnayo into his administration
Governor Otti stated his stance during the August 2025 edition of his monthly Media Chat on Friday, against claims that people who were criticizing him were doing so for them to be invited to be part of his administration.
The Governor’s statement is coming on the heels of comments by a former Commissioner for Finance, Chief Eze Chikamnayo, who demanded accountability from the Governor with regard to N54 billion, 221 schools renovation project ongoing in the state.
Chiakmnayo claimed that there was not project like that in Abia and challenged the Governor to do a video of the projects as proof that he was executing such a project.
Responding to Chikamnayo’s comments, Governor Otti told the ex-Abia Commissioner that there was no room for him and his likes in his administration, adding that he (Chikamnayo) has no integrity.
He equally knocked Chikamnayo for being ignorant of the subject matter of his Abuja Press Conference but was wired for mischief, disclosing the message of the media conference was made available to him two days before the event.
Said the Governor: “I am sure a lot of people here know him (Eze Chikamnayo). Unfortunately, when you have people who do not have so much information, they are not properly informed; they are wired to be used for mischievous activities.
“Sometimes, they make mistakes. I heard about (Press Conference) it a day or two before the press conference. Everything he was going to say was sent to me by WhatsApp. And then I was also told who sponsored it. I said it is okay, it is democracy.
“The unfortunate thing is that the person that sponsored it chose to use a man with no integrity; absolutely zero integrity. Even the issue of N54 billion, the original person that talked about it found out shortly after he had talked about it that he made a mistake and he decided to walk back his mistakes.
So, to Eze Chikamnayo, I have a message for him. This is a different government.
And my response to his request that came at the beginning of this administration remain the same. The person he sent to me, ‘oh he wants to be part of this government,’ I told him no. And the answer is no.
“We have followed him. He has been part of every government since 1999. In 2007, he started blackmailing the governor at that time and they called him and gave him jobs.
So, if he likes, let him hang on the transformer. This government would not call him.”
Turning to the alleged sponsors of Chikamnayo, the Governor said: “And to the people that sent him, first of all they sent the wrong person: a man without credibility. You don’t need to send him to go and talk about it. And in any case, they may not have found a man with credibility to come and talk rubbish because if you send a man who understands numbers, he will tell you, no this one is budget, let’s look at what has been spent.”
Dr. Otti explained that N2. 1 billion was spent on the schools renovation project as at December 2024, adding that as at June this, N14.43 billion has been pumped into the project.
“I am sure those who are following the details will know. There is something called State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (STFAS) report. It is a programme by World Bank which requires states to publish their budget performance. What is budget? Budget is an estimate. So, these things are very simple.
But at the end of the day, what is important is the cash that has been spent. So, if you go to the website of Abia State Government, the Audited Financial Statement for December 31, 2024, states exactly how much of that N54 billion has been spent. If you check that website, you will see the figure of N2.1 billion. That is what has been spent.
“I was looking at the numbers and by June this year, we have spent about N14.43 billion on 61 schools just within these renovations that we are doing.”
He told the ex-Commissioner that about six schools were being done in his Umunneochi local government area, asking him to go there and see things for himself physically, not through video.
“He said I should do a video. I checked the records and I found out about five or six schools are being done in Umunneochi as we speak. He should come home and see them, if he is not afraid of coming home.
I should not do a video. Why should I do a video and prove to him that I am working in his local government? No, he should come. He should not stay in Abuja. And if he comes, please somebody should also tell him not to forget to also visit the university where he claimed he read law. I am also working there.,” Governor Otti said.
