APC chieftain challenges Abia government to publish evidence of N54bn school projects

Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has challenged the Abia government to provide evidence of schools renovated under a N54 billion expenditure reportedly captured in the state’s official budget records.

In a statement signed by Ujo Justice, his chief press secretary (CPS), Ikonne accused Alex Otti, governor of Abia, of “contradicting himself” while trying to dismiss the growing concerns around the alleged spending.

Otti, during his monthly media chat over the weekend, had described the allegations as “baseless” and attributed them to a misunderstanding of government budgeting processes.

But reacting to the governor’s remarks, Ikonne said the explanations were evasive and failed to address the core issue.

“Why would a governor who boasts of having ‘seasoned accountants’ in his cabinet be contradicting himself all in a bid to downplay a now national issue and the question on the lips of every Abian: where are the schools, and where is the N54 billion?” he said.

Ikonne recalled that the state government previously announced N18 billion for school renovation “without anything to show for it”, warning that Abians will not accept repeated excuses.

He cited a news article that analysed Abia state’s official budget performance data, showing that N54.066 billion was reported as spent on rehabilitation and repairs of public schools in the last quarter of 2024 alone.

He added that the total for the 2024 fiscal year was N58.323 billion.

Ikonne said if the governor insists that only N2.1 billion was spent on schools, he must reconcile it with figures from the state’s records.

He also referenced the approved 2024 budget, which allocated N64.7 billion for the renovation or remodelling of 51 schools, averaging about N1.26 billion per school.

“This data makes it clear that the governor is either deliberately misleading Abians or is unaware of what his government is signing off,” he said.

Ikonne also expressed support for the Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), seeking a detailed breakdown of the N54 billion expenditure.

“Governor Otti should stop hiding behind semantics,” he said.

“Budgets are estimates, but expenditures are facts. The documents clearly show N54 billion was reported as spent between October and December 2024.

“If he disputes this, let him publish the schools. Abians are not asking for excuses — we are asking for evidence.”

Ikonne urged the governor to embrace transparency and understand that “leadership is about accountability, not storytelling”.