Don’t Blame Any Presidential Candidate For Failure To Construct Ariaria Market, Account For N100b Loan, Hon. Ichita Tells Abia Govt

Member representing Aba South State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Ichita has called on the public to ignore narratives by agents of the state government that a certain presidential candidate stopped CBN from disbursing funds for the construction of Ariaria International Market, saying there is no truth in such.

Ichita, a deputy governorship candidate of APGA in the state instead challenged Abia government to account for the alleged 100 billion naira loan it has incurred in domestic debt, different from other sources of revenue like statutory allocation, Ecological Fund, 13 % derivation, financial donations from international donor agencies and more.

In a statement on Thursday, the lawmaker said the people are wiser now and cannot fall for propaganda allegedly being manufactured by agents of the state government to justify its “failure”, insisting that nobody is withholding funds due to the state government.

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He said, “On the recent claims by one of the Governor’s associates that some persons stopped the CBN loan to Abia State apparently as punishment to Gov. Ikpeazu for standing with him, I want to say that Abia State does not need any further loans at the twilight of Ikpeazu’s administration.

“It is risky for Gov. Ikpeazu to go for a fresh loan in less than eight months to the end of his tenure when he has not given any good account of how he deployed the previous loans he obtained.”

He added, “It is common knowledge that no authority or personality can withhold any money due to any state in the Federation. This assertion finds support in the Supreme Court pronouncement in the matter between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the government of Lagos state where the apex court held that every money due to each state shall be made available to that state. QED!

“It is another insult on our collective intelligence for the government of Abia or any of their proxies, agents or associates to assume that Abia people are uninformed and unexposed.

“I challenge the state government of Abia to make public, any personality or any authority that has withheld any money due to Abia state.”

He also challenged the state government to tell the people of the state why NDDC contracts are not executed in Abia State unlike in other NDDC states.

While urging the people to ignore what he called the propaganda by those who do not mean well for the state, he said a new government will emerge where good governance and impactful leadership will be enthroned and experienced by the people irrespective of their nativity or their locality.