…advises him to shun deceit, lies and propaganda
By NewsCritic Reporters
The last may not have been heard of the controversy that has trailed the flag off of the Umuopara ring road project by Gov Alex Otti. The road project which was awarded to Worldwide Environmental Technologies Ltd founded by Sir Ako Obioma was still ongoing until the coming of Otti’s governorship, who few days back flagged off the construction of the road a second time, a development that has pitched the Abia State Government against Sir Ako Obioma and his companies who are being owed by the State government over projects executed without payment.
As it stands now, Sir Ako Obioma has accused Gov Otti of orchestrating a plot to destabilize his family and put him in enmity with his blood brother, Hon Acho Obioma, who also serves as the Political Adviser to the Governor.
Addressing a press conference in Umuahia following the reaward of the Umuopara Ring road contract, Sir Ako Obioma said he ‘invited the press to brief them of his concerns on the purported reaward of Umuopara ring road by H.E Dr Alex Otti’.
He explained that Umuopara ring road project is a project he attracted for his people during the tenure of Senator T. A Orji, which was awarded to his company Worldwide Environmental Technologies in 2013 by the administration of Sen Orji and reviewed in 2019 by Gov Okezie Ikpeazu.
Sir Ako Obioma disclosed that the project traversed five villages, adding that his company has completed Umuekwule to Ehume section according to specification and high standard that makes it impossible to see portholes, despite the number of trucks that ply the route daily.
He further explained that despite the job done, Abia State is yet to pay his company for certified works on the sections executed, regretting that despite the collective support of his family for Gov Otti to emerge Labour Party candidate and Hon Acho Obioma, who is his elder brother working as his (Otti’s) Campaign Director General, together with the role he (Ako) played in his assigned duty to see to the victory of Otti, what Gov Otti is trying to do now, according to him is to reward him by sowing seed of discord in his family by taking away the Umuopara ring road contract from his company and reawarding same to his elder brother Acho Obioma.
He argued that it is not part of the agreement as it was done in bad faith to rob Peter to pay Paul thereby causing disaffection in the family and destabilizing Umuopara and Umuahia South in general.
Sir Ako Obioma said that Gov Otti’s refusal to reciprocate and keep even one of those gentleman understanding is his reason for employing these antics “to destabilize my family, the Umuopara clan and entire Umuahia South LGA that collectively gave him the highest votes to emerge governor”.
Continuing he said “recently Gov Otti has used the election of council chairmen in my LGA to put a knife in the things that hold together the stakeholders of the Labour Party in my LGA”.
He alleged that Otti had promised to work with his Political Adviser to select the Umuahia South Chairmanship Candidate, while at the same time he promised and mandated his special adviser on security and the commissioner budget and planning that it is the turn of their community to produce the LGA chairman, hence that they should nominate their preferred candidates.
“But it eventually ended in a fight as they couldn’t choose a candidate. So, Dr Otti succeeded in what he wanted and ended up giving them a candidate that is not known to any of the stakeholders and his Political Adviser.
“This is exactly what Dr Alex Otti wants to do in my family, but what he does not know is that before my father died, he told me to protect my elder brother even if he was the one to kill me.
“Dr Otti is only being smart a little in trying to destabilize my family by reawarding an ongoing project executed by my company to my elder brother whom he has made gullible.
Sir Ako Obioma said that things that are of uttermost importance to him now is the completion of Umuopara Ring road for his people, as he cares less about who the contractor is now. He cautioned Gov Otti to stop playing games and propaganda of destabilization with Abians and do the right thing.
He said another thing that is important to him now is for his companies to be paid for their services to the state. According to him, after the arbitration award and prior to entering it as judgement of the court in January and April 2023, the former governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and his attorney general proffered a condition to pay them the debt, however, he said “Dr Alex Otti through his campaign Director General (my elder brother) pressured me not to accept the terms, and promised to pay the money without condition if he is elected governor.
“After almost two years in office, I have used all human means available to plead with Gov Otti to honour his promise but he keeps saying that he will not attend to anything that has to do with Sen T. A Orji and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, yet he is using those facilities we provided during their tenure and even himself Dr Alex Otti, at some point had good relationship with those government, he stressed.
Ako Obioma stated that he has waited for more than 10 years for the payment of Abia State indebtedness to his companies, adding that if “standing on truth and fairness will cost me more six years of Otti’s governorship (if God permits) it will not kill me, and I will have no regrets but it could be one of Dr Otti’s political albatross.
He reiterated his love for Abia State as the reason he became the first contractor of the State at creation, and disclosed that he gifted the church of God building that is situated in Government house today where both the governor and workers worship.
