Ikpeazu Carpets Charles Ogbonna Over Salary Payment, Says Ex-Commissioner Lacks Competence

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has told his former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Charles Ogbonnaya that he was not competent to preach to him on salary payment, “having been chased out of office by angry unpaid council workers while he was in office as the Chairman of Umuahia North Local Government”.

Ogbonnaya who had also served as Commissioner for Trade and Investment under Ikpeazu, had challenged the Governor to explain to Abians why Council workers and pensioners are being owed salary arrears.

He said that Council workers were never owed while he held sway, and wondered why the state is now owing despite receiving bigger allocations.

The former Deputy Chief of Staff, office of the Deputy Governor who said he was instrumental to the emergence of Ikpeazu in 2015, also accused the Governor of underperformance, saying that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has nothing to showcase at the campaigns for the 2023 elections.

He regretted that even Ebonyi State with little allocations had long overtaken Abia in infrastructural development.

But the Governor in a swift reaction dismissed Ogbonnaya as an attention seeker and morally unfit to preach to him on workers’ welfare.

Ikpeazu who spoke with our Correspondent yesterday in Umuahia, said he had, contrary to allegations by the Commissioner, posted remarkable achievements.

The Governor who spoke through his Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo, said he had built over 100 roads, hospitals and put smiles on the faces of Abians who voted him into power.

His words: ” Charles Ogbonnaya is looking for unmerited attention. He is not competent to sermonise on salary payment having been chased out of office by angry workers for owing backlog of salary arrears.

“Ikpeazu has performed for Abia people who elected him. May be he has not performed in the pocket of Charles Ogbonnaya.”

“Ikpeazu built Aba Road Umuahia which Charles Ogbonnaya and his cohorts could not build. He has also built over 100 roads.

“He built Children’s Specialist Hospital, the best in South East very close to the house of Charles Ogbonnaya for his children and grandchildren.

” He is crying wolf where there is non because we have not performed in his pocket. But we will continue to perform for the people of Abia State”, Ikpeazu said.

Chief Ogbonnaya had admitted he had friendly relationship with the Governor but said that he was no longer willing to receive gifts from the Governor if he would not take good advice to work for the people.

He said he had severally advised the Governor privately but decided to go public to see if he could improve to save the ruling party from defeat at the polls.

Vanguard