Abia State Government has admitted awarding millions of Naira contract to a law firm, Ken Ahia, SAN & Associates owned by Governor Alex Otti’s political ally and friend, Mr Kenneth Ahia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The Bureau Newspapers had exclusively reported how the state government under Otti paid the firm for what was described as negotiation and review of a single road contract.
The fee was presented as “discounted professional fees.”
Documents obtained by The Bureau Newspapers, dated October 5, 2023, showed correspondence between the Abia State Ministry of Justice and the law firm.
The professional fee was said to be for negotiating and drafting the road contract agreement for the state’s reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road, Aba.
The ministry, led by the Attorney General, Ikechukwu Uwanna, sought the approval of Governor Otti for the disbursement of N50 million, which was brought down from N60 million, following further negotiations.
The letter from Uwanna specifically noted the complexity of the transaction, justifying the fee for securing the “best possible rate” for the road project.
In 2022, the owner of the law firm, Ahia donated two buses for Otti’s governorship campaign in the 2023 election.
He was also one of the lawyers who represented the governor at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the state.
Speaking during an interview on Magic FM in Aba on Friday, Otti through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma explained why Ahia was awarded the contract.
According to him, the state Ministry of Justice doesn’t have a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who could do the negotiation on behalf of the government.
“Ken Ahia is a lawyer and you can make enquiries, it’s not only Abia that he renders services to. He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and I’m not aware of any Senior Advocate in the state Ministry of Justice. There are technical aspects to certain things that are handled by people who have the confidence,” Ekeoma said
When asked by the reporter maybe The Bureau Newspapers story was fake, he said, “It’s not fake, he was paid. You can’t even scandalise the government, what we are doing is veritable and the documents are there.”
While there is state Ministry of Justice to secure professional services, some residents asked why the governor decided chose a private law firm owned by his friend for such a project.
Questioning Otti, a resident said, “Does the Governor have the statutory power to unilaterally award negotiation contract when there is F & GPC that is legally constituted and imbued with the powers to negotiate contracts?
“Where is the evidence of competitive bidding as required by the procurement act?
“Given that Ken Ahia, SAN, is the governor’s personal lawyer who has been representing his private interests and also donated vehicles to his 2023 election campaign could this be divorced from conflict of interest as envisaged by the law setting up ICPC?
“What is the job of the lawyers in the ministry of justice maintained by the state government at very high cost?
“How many other road project contracts have Ken Ahia negotiated for Abia State Govt and at what total cost? Was there any budgetary provision for this transaction?”
