By Godwin Akomah, Umuahia
UMUAHIA: The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Worldwide Environmental Technologies Limited, Chief Ako Obioma has cried out for over alleged deliberate moves by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State to undermine him and destabilise his family by taking the road project contract already awarded to him and re-awarding it to his elder brother, Chief Acho Obioma (Chomen) ostensibly to instigate disaffection in the larger family.
Chief Obioma accused Governor Otti of not been content with the move to destabilise his family but also extending it to his Umuopara community and Umuahia South local government of the State by using the recent council elections to put a knife in the things that held together the stakeholders of the Labour Party in his Umuahia South Local Government.
The palpably embittered Obioma who addressed the press on Monday, December 9, 2024, in his country home at Amachara, Abia State, accused the Governor of not keeping to any of the promises he made during the electioneering period, lamenting that he forfeited the money the then Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration wanted to pay him because Governor Otti promised to offset the monies owed his construction firm when elected into office.
The AkubaraOha of Umuopara
is unhappy that after Otti has spent almost two years in office coupled with the series of pleadings to make him keep to his promise, the Chief noted that the Governor had refused to look in the direction of paying the debt owed his company by the state government.
He wondered why Governor Otti kept saying he would not attend to anything (the contract debt matter) that had the imprints of his predecessors – Senator Theodore Orji and Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu but continued to use the facilities the two predecessors provided during their tenures which formed subjects of the debt in focus.
The Daily Crucible reported earlier on December 7, 2024 that Sir Ako Obioma had expressed sadness over the non – payment of N2.715Bn debt allegedly owed his firm by Alex Otti – led Abia State Government for the road contract projects executed for the State by his company, Worldwide Environmental Technologies Limited.
Addressing the newsmen yesterday, he said he had waited without success at least in the last ten (10) years for the payment of the huge debt, but added that if standing on the side of truth and fairness would cost him additional six (6) years of further waiting under the administration of Governor Otti, so be it, even as he warned that it could become Otti’s political albatross in 2027.
He spoke in details: “I have invited you once more to brief you on my concern on the purported reaward of Umuopara Ring Road by His Excellency Dr Alex Chioma Otti. Umuopara Ring Road is a road project I attracted for my people during the Tenure of Sen T A Orji, It was awarded to my company Worldwide Environmental Technologies Limited in 2013 by the government of Senator T A Orji and reviewed in 2019 by Gov Okezie Ikpeazu. It traverses five villages namely, Umuekwule, Umuojameze, Ehume, Ogbodinibe, and Umunwanwa with a spur at Amachara.
“My company has completed Umuekwule to Ehume in accordance with specifications and in a highly professional manner that you cannot see a porthole in it in the next ten years despite the high traffic of trucks that goes to the Imo River sand dump. However, Abia State has yet to pay my company for certified works on the executed area.
“Every Abian knows the collective support of my family for Dr Alex Otti to get the Labour Party governorship ticket and my elder brother becoming his Campaign director general and my ability to discharge the role assigned to me that led to his emergence as governor.
“However, taking away the Umuopara ring road which is an existing contract from my company, and reawarding to my elder brother is not part of the agreement but done in bad faith to rub Peter and pay Paul, thereby causing disaffection in the family and destabilizing Umuopara and Umuahia South in general.
“Dr Alex Otti’s refusal to reciprocate and keep even one of those gentlemen’s understanding is his reason for all this Hullabaloo and his quest to destabilize my family, my community Umuopara, and my local government Umuahia South that collectively gave him the highest vote to become the governor.
“Recently, Gov Otti has used the election of the local government chairman in my local government to put a knife in the things that hold together the stakeholders of his Labour Party in my local government. He announced before the stakeholders that his political adviser who incidentally is my elder brother will work with him to choose the local government Chairmen aspirants. On the other side, he separately promised, assured, and mandated his Special Adviser on Security and also His Commissioner for Budget and Planning that it’s the turn of their community to produce our local government Chairman and they should nominate their preferred person.
“These parties, jubilating with powers secretly conferred on them by His Excellency had stakeholders meeting to nominate their candidates but it eventually ended in a fight and they could not choose a candidate. Dr Alex Otti has succeeded in what he wants and ended up giving them a candidate whom none of his stakeholders in Umuahia South including his political adviser knows.
“This is what Dr Alex Otti wants to do in my family but what he does not know is that before my father died, he told me to protect my elder brother even if he was the one to kill me.
“So Dr. Alex Otti is only been half smart in trying to destabilize my family by reawarding an ongoing project being executed by my company to my elder brother whom he has made gullible.
“It’s very pertinent for the world to know that three major things are very important to me here.
1. Completion of Umuopara Ring Road for my people. I do not care who completes Umuopara Ring Road but let the governor stop playing games and propaganda of destabilisation with abians and do the right thing.
2. My companies need to be paid for our services to the state. After the arbitration award and prior to entering it as Judgement of the court, in January and April 2023, the former governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, and his Attorney General proffered a condition to pay us the debt but Dr. Alex Otti through his Campaign director ( my elder brother) pressured me not to accept the terms and promised to pay the money unconditionally if he is elected and sworn in as governor.
After almost two years of being sworn in, I have used all human means to plead with Dr Alex Otti to keep his promise but he keeps saying he will not attend to anything that has to do with Sen T A Orji and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu but he is using those facilities we provided during their tenure and even himself Dr Alex Otti, at some point had good relationship with those government.
3. Finally, I have to obey my late father’s instruction to protect my elder brother no matter the situation.
“I have waited for more than ten (10) years for the payment of the debts owed my companies by the Abia State government, so if standing on truth and fairness will cost me more six (6) years of Ottis governorship (if God permits) will not kill me and I will have no regret but it could be one of Dr. Alex Ottis political albatross.
“I love Abia State, and that’s why as the first contractor of the state at creation, I jointly gifted the state the church of God building and furnishing that’s in the government house and the only one there where the Governors and other staff worship. I hate deceit and injustice. That’s why I am advising Dr Alex Otti to shun propaganda, lies, and greed and reciprocate the collective magnanimity of abians in his governance. We are all aware he spent a lot in his consecutive three attempts at the governorship race but he should realize that he got it on a platter of gold at the time he never spent money, so that should convince him that it’s God that gives power. If he does well, God may still use Abians to vote him in for a second time and at that time he could recover all beyond his expectation.
“Honestly, if I am disappointed with Dr. Alex Otti, all major stakeholders in Umuahia South no matter the position they pretend to hold are worst hit, though, they are keeping silent.
“I love my family, the Umuopara people, and Umuahia South. My concern is for the Umuopara Ring road to be completed and very well constructed as we have exemplified, and if possible better. I stand for and am ready to sacrifice for anything that will cause peace, unity, and progress to prevail in Umuopara.
“However, I advise Umuopara people to read the story of Cain and Abel in the bible very well. Yes, Cain was very envious and jealous of Abel, that he killed him but he did not kill Abel alone. There were invisible hands of Cain’s friends who motivated Cain against his brother Abel, that was why after Cain killed Abel and God appeared to him, he regretted his actions but then it was too late.
“Please my Umuopara people, let us join hands and eliminate those Cains friends who are putting a knife in the things that hold us, so we may live in peace, unity, and Progress.
“Instead of ending as Abel, may we end as Joseph that the Lord shall still keep us alive to be that rejected stone that became the pillar of the house.
Remember if you sell your brother, the buyer won’t trust you.”
However, efforts to reach the state government or the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti for reaction have not been successful as of the time of filing the report.
