The Abia State government led by Alex Otti of Abia State paid millions of Naira to a law firm, Ken Ahia, SAN & Associates for what it described as negotiation and review of a single road contract.
The fee was presented as “discounted professional fees.”
Documents obtained by The Bureau Newspaper, 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.
The Bureau Newspaper gathered that the law firm, Ken Ahia, SAN & Associates is owned by Governor Otti’s political ally and friend, Mr Kenneth Ahia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
In 2022, Ahia donated two buses for Otti’s governorship campaign in the 2023 election.
According to AfNews, the buses were handed over by the lawyer to Otti in Umuasua community, Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State.
The lawyer was reported to have noted that the vehicles were to aid Otti and his campaign team take their developmental messages to the grassroots and Abians at large.
Ahia was also one of the lawyers who represented Otti at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the state.
The governor has faced increasing criticism over lavish expenditures since his assumption of office.
In February, a copy of the state’s 2024 approved budget published by The Bureau Newspaper revealed that Otti’s administration planned to spend N1.5 billion for the purchase of “two number of Toyota Hilux”.
However, after the report, the governor blamed the N1.5 billion budget on a software glitch generated by the Excel package used in preparing the budget document. He said the actual amount was N150 million and not N1.5 billion.
A further analysis of the 2024 approved budget of the Abia State government also revealed that Otti allocated the sum of N5,845,000,000 for the purchase of cars for himself, commissioners, permanent secretary, judiciary and Government House/MDAs.
In February 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the poverty index of Abia State stood at 30 percent, meaning that 30 percent of people of the state are living in multi-dimensional poverty.
Earlier this month, The Bureau Newspaper reported how residents and business owners within and around Nkwo Ngwa market in Aba, Abia State, lamented and berated Governor Otti over their flooded bad road.
The residents and business owners accused Governor Alex Otti’s administration of engaging in social media propaganda to hype his administration while “he is only patching roads constructed by the previous government.”
However, despite the public outcry of poverty and poor state of infrastructure in the state, and the governor’s promised commitment to reposition the state and lift the people of the state from poverty, a review of the 2024 approved budget revealed that Governor Otti allocated the sum of N1,545,000,000 to the Office of the Governor for the “Purchase of vehicle for commissioners, Judiciary and Permanent Secretary.”
Also, he allocated a total sum of N2.8 billion to the Office of the Governor for the “Purchase of motor vehicles for Government House/MDAs.”