Abia PDP chieftain, Uche Aguoru speaks on Abia Otti’s inauguration of judicial panel of Inquiry on recovery of looted govt properties, advises governor

By Chinedu Emeruwa Chinedu

Uche Aguoru, a party stalwart and the Director of News Media of the disbanded 2023 Campaign Organization of Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Candidate n Abia state, Chief Uche Aguoru, has lended his voice on the recent constitution and inauguration of a judicial panel of Inquiry on recovery of looted government properties and funds by political appointees of the immediate past administration by Governor Alex Otti.

Recall that Otti had on Tuesday, inaugurated the five-man judicial panel of Inquiry which has Honorable Justice Ikwuoma Duruoha-Igwe (rtd), as chairman,

The event which took place at the banquet hall of the Government House Umuahia, was attended by the State Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Kenneth Kalu and many other government functionaries.

Earlier, Mr Aguoru, while baring his minds on the newly-inaugurated judicial panel of Inquiry on recovery of government properties by the Abia helmsman in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Umuahia, the state capital, described the governor’s step as commendable and tasked him to extend panel’s probe to other past successive administrations from May,1999 to 2023.

He reminded Otti on missteps taken by former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha then as the governor of Imo state, who according to him, abandoned serious state matters to pursue victimization of perceived political opponents, urging the Abia helmsman to abhor personal vendetta in the ongoing probe on recovery of the government-owned properties and funds by aides of former Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

His words: “Alex Otti is predictable. The much anticipated probe has started. He has set up a judicial panel of Inquiry for the recovery of properties and funds belonging to the Abia state government.

“This move is commendable. Anybody who has any property or funds traceable to ABSG should be made to account for it. Government property is public property, and not private property.

“As painful as the defeat of 2015 is, the scars of the defeat should have been healed by the victory of 2023. I hope Governor Alex Otti realizes this and expands the ToR of the probe panel to start from 1999, because Abia was not created in 2015.

“And i believe as a son of a pastor, bitterness should not be found in his dwelling and his upbringing is supposed to abhor vendetta and unnecessary victimization of perceived political enemies, but unfortunately, i have my doubts.

“He should not also toe the line of Ihedioha who went after spoons, plates, forks, pots and buckets purportedly taken from Government House kitchen, when serious matters like Abia Newspapers and some of the lands belonging to public schools that was criminally encroached on and taken over by individuals should be their interest, please avoid Okirika business. The courts are done with it”.

Aguoru continued: “Help us find out who is collecting the rents for the old govt house because we heard the property was an inheritance of Abia state government from the then Eastern Central state.

“I am very much interested in that one, because i need my 10 percent agency fee. They have cheated me out of it for a long time. I heard some people collected monies meant for the development and expansion of Umuahia, and used it to do buga. Please, help us to take it back. We need it to build flyover at old Isigate Umuahia market.

“Please, remind them to look into the ogwumabiri market and why a property belonging to Government should be leased out by an individual we need to know,” the Abia stalwart demanded.

While further tasking the Alex Otti-led administration to extent the planned probe other past successive government opportune to administer and manage the common resources of the state, the former PDP campaign spokesperson, advised the 5-man judicial panel of inquiry on recovery of government properties and funds, to avoid media trial intends to destroy non-members of the labour party.

Words: “Anybody found guilty should be made to face the music. Business has left the usual, and “Ometaraburu bu isi ofo na ogu”.