A former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority has urged residents of Abia State to closely scrutinise the administration of Governor Alex Otti over allegations of financial irregularities.
The call was made by Prince Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Abia State, in a statement released on Monday, the 9th of February, 2026.
His remarks followed public outrage over the appearance of a N210 million allocation in the Abia State 2026 budget, reportedly earmarked for the purchase of a photocopier.
In response to the backlash, the Abia State government explained that the figure was included in error, describing it as a “typographical error.”
Reacting to the explanation, Ikonne expressed disbelief that an administration headed by a governor widely known as a former bank chief executive, with extensive experience in finance and accounting, could repeatedly allow such serious mistakes to appear in official financial documents.
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According to him, “This is exactly how Abia money is written off. If Abians had not paid attention and raised questions, this whopping sum would have quietly disappeared,” Ikonne stated.
He further alleged that, “The Otti administration is fast gaining notoriety for financial inconsistencies, padding, and attempts to siphon the common patrimony of Ndi Abia under the guise of errors,” he said.
Ikonne also restated earlier concerns surrounding the controversial N100 billion and N7 billion reportedly expended on smart schools and recreational centres, respectively, projects he claimed largely exist only on social media.