Abia Speaker deceived us to approve N30bn loan —Lawmakers

Fresh crisis is brewing in the Abia State House of Assembly as the All Progressive Grand Alliance lawmakers in the House have accused the Speaker, Martins Azubuike, of deceiving them into approving a request by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to take N30bn loan.

The aggrieved lawmakers, who addressed a press conference on Tuesday in Umuahia, the state capital, accused Azubuike of not giving the lawmakers detailed information about the loan before they gave their approval.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party has 13 lawmakers out of the 24 members of the House while APGA has 11.

The Minority Leader of the House, Chief Abraham Oba, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said that the Speaker told the lawmakers that the loan was meant to finance some developmental projects in the state, including the dredging of the Aba River, construction of roads and health facilities.

The Minority Leader said that they were shocked, two days after the House granted the approval, to discover that the loan was meant for other purposes.

The lawmakers were reacting to a statement credited to the Economic Adviser to Ikpeazu, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, who reportedly said that the loan was not “a fresh borrowing” but funds meant to clear the accumulated debts of the state.

Oriaku had explained that the loan was meant to defray the backlog of the state government’s debts, including salary arrears and debts owed contractors.

But the Minority Leader said that Oriaku’s latest explanation on the purpose of the loan was different from the earlier explanation given to the lawmakers.

The APGA members, therefore, demanded an immediate clarification on the matter.

He said, “We have been deceived by the Speaker. He lied to us. And we are no longer part of the approval.”

The member of the House representing Ikwuano constituency, Theophilus Ugbaja, said, “They sold us a dummy that the state owed only N6bn and that the loan would be used to wipe off the debts, and to finance major projects in the state.”

The APGA lawmakers, therefore, disassociated themselves from the loan and threatened to resist any attempt by the PDP-led state government to hinder the progress of the state.

They also warned commercial banks planning to grant the loan to be wary “as it would amount to waste of funds.”

“Any bank negotiating to lend the money is doing so at its own risk until the governor comes up with the truth about the loan, including the mode of repayment,” the lawmakers said in a statement.

They also asked Ikpeazu to appear on the floor of the House and address the members on the desirability or otherwise of the loan, and to clear the air on the actual debt status of Abia State.

Also, they queried the economic importance of dredging the Aba River at a time public servants were owed salary arrears.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Clinton Uba, maintained that the position of the House that the loan was to help execute major projects had not changed.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, condemned the statement of APGA members, arguing that the passage of the resolution followed parliamentary procedures.

He said the protesting lawmakers were under pressure by an external influence to back out from the resolution just to blackmail the House and the PDP-led government.

Ndukwe said that the House had already “suspended and removed the Minority Leader who anchored that abusive interview,” adding that the resolution was signed and moved by six APGA members and adopted by the House.

The Deputy Speaker said that the governor’s economic adviser, Oriaku, lacked the powers to speak for the state regarding the loan, adding that Oriaku had already denied the said media report when he was summoned before the House.