The camp of the governor-elect of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti and Abia State government on Wednesday engaged each other in war of words over an alleged illegal recruitment of civil servants in the state two months to the expiration of the 8 year tenure of the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu led administration.
The Alex Otti media team in a statement Wednesday morning had claimed that they had on good authority that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government was recruiting people into state civil service through the back door.
According to the statement signed by the Media Aide to Dr. Otti, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the said illegal job recruitment was done in ill-fate, as the camp of the Labour Party governor-elect claimed that the action of the PDP led government was to frustrate Otti.
According to the statement by Ekeoma “confirmed reports backed by empirical evidence show that there’s presently a bazaar of illegal employment going on in different ministries and parastatals, with all the so-called employees being issued with backdated employment letters.
“We ordinarily would not have bothered to go beyond calling on the state government to take decisive actions against its agents and enablers of this heist since we have a duly constituted government with a running tenure that ends on the 29th of May 2023. However, we have it on good authority that senior government agents are are culpable in this.
“For example, those in charge of the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) in the state are directly involved in the fake recruitment which saw dozens of people troop in and out of ASUBEB on March 28, 2023 with the false assumption that they have been employed.”
In their response, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr. Onyebuchi Ememanka denied that the governor was aware of any form of job racketeering in the state.
According to Ememanka, “while making it abundantly clear that the Abia State Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is not aware of any form of Employment Racketeering in the Abia State Public Service, it is also important to remind Dr Alex Otti that there is a government fully in place in Abia State with Executive Powers to run the affairs of the State.
“It is absolutely preposterous and outrightly anachronistic for the Media Team of the Governor Elect to use the word ILLEGAL to describe the activities of a government that is legitimately in office.
“Assuming, though by no means conceding that the State Government offered employment to Abians, what is illegal about it?
“Dr. Otti should take it easy. We understand that he has been trying to be Governor since 2015.
“His hurry is understandable but he must know that Dr Okezie Ikpeazu remains Governor of Abia State until midnight of 28th May, 2023.
“Within this period, the Governor is still enabled by all laws in this country to exercise the full powers of his office, including the power to grant employment waivers into the State Work Force, if he so desires.
“What Dr. Otti can do, at best, is to review such Executive Actions after he is sworn in on the 29th of May. Anything else from him at this time is of no effect whatsoever.
“Dr. Otti will have 4 full years at the first instance to exercise the powers of the Governor of Abia State, from 29th of May, 2023. He should wait for his time.
“Dr. Otti should also be reminded that every Governor Elect is a potential former Governor. At most and if God permits , he will spend 8 years in office and while still in office, his successor will be elected too.
“Our advise is simple. May 29th is almost here. Please be patient. If you waited since 2015 till now, you can wait for another 2 months.
“When a new administration is elected into office, they will inherit both assets and liabilities because government is a continuum.
“What a new Governor chooses to do with what he inherits will define it’s administrative strategy.
Abians are eagerly looking forward to seeing the administrative expertise of the Governor Elect.
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“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is still the Governor of Abia State and he will continue to do the needful till his tenure expires, by effluxion of time, by midnight of May 28th, 2023.”
