Former Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has rejected a newspaper report (not First Daily) claiming he defected to the All Progressives Congress and was linked to the alleged diversion of ₦1.9 trillion, describing the publication as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Sunday, December 7, his Media Adviser, Enyinnaya Appolo, said the former governor remains a loyal member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The statement said, “Dr. Ikpeazu remains a committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and indeed attended the most recent meeting of party stakeholders on November 18, 2025.”
It faulted the claim that Ikpeazu left the PDP in April 2024, stating that “a simple verification from party officials or available public records would have clarified this.”
Responding to allegations of a KPMG audit indicting the former governor for diverting ₦1.9 trillion, the statement said, “For the avoidance of doubt, no such KPMG audit exists. What the current Abia State administration commissioned was a process review, not a financial audit.”
The document cited a March 2, 2024 report issued by KPMG Partner, Saheed Olawuyi, titled ‘Final Report: Provision of Process Review Services to Abia State.’
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It emphasised that, “This assignment was not performed by us in the capacity of a statutory auditor. Hence, this is not any form of financial statements audit of ABSG or any entity listed in the report.”
The statement further noted that KPMG “did not conduct an inquiry or trial, sit as a tribunal or commission of inquiry, perform any adjudicatory function, or determine whether any individual was guilty or innocent of any offence.”
On the ₦1.9 trillion allegation, it stressed that “the figure quoted in the publication does not align with the total revenue of Abia State under Dr. Ikpeazu’s administration,” citing publicly available SFTAS and Federal Ministry of Finance records.
It maintained that the former governor has no outstanding corruption case, stating, “Dr. Ikpeazu has not been indicted, charged, or prosecuted in any court of law on this matter or on any corruption issue since leaving office.”
The statement urged the newspaper to correct its report, especially as Ikpeazu is “a former Governor currently nominated for national service.”
It concluded that “Dr. Ikpeazu served Abia State diligently for eight uninterrupted years and left office without legal or administrative blemish,” calling for improved verification in future reporting.