Elder Azubuike Enyioma Erondu JP popularly known as Mopol have lamented the ill treatment meted on him by Chief Ezinwa Abiri led Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMSS).
Erondu while narrating his ordeal in an AF-TV Programme “Akuko Abia” on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, said in 2019, he paid for a revenue window to execute ASPIMSS job for the year 2021 but on requesting for an authority letter from the Scheme in October 2021, he discovered that the job had been re-sold to another bidder, Mr. Eze Eugene.
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In his words;
“sometime in 2019 I paid for a revenue window with Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMSS).
“I paid chief Ezinwa Abiri revenue window against 2021. On getting to October, 2020, I asked him to give me authority letter for my revenue window against 2021, I found out that he has sold the revenue window to Eze Eugene and I asked him, why would he sell it? he said please I should come let us sort it out.”
Erondu said not being able to accept the injustice, he headed to a High court in Umunneochi where an interlocutory injunction was given to him, affirming him (Erondu), as the legal owner of the contract.
“I headed to court to look for justice. Getting to court at Umunneochi, the judge looked at the matter and gave me interlocutory injunction to stop them from doing the job when am the actual owner of the work. They gave me the interlocutory injunction, and I proceeded to do my work.
“The Attorney General of the state, Chief Uche Ihediwa called me with my brother, Rt. Hon. Eziuche Ubani, that they were sent by His Excellency, that I should calm down let them work out some settlement.”
Erondu said he was offered the revenue window for 2022 as settlement since the 2021 window had been re-sold. He said he agreed to the offer of settlement considering that he had already paid N13.5 million.
“they wrote a contractual agreement and gave to me and filed it in court too. Justice Eluwa Abaa gave a judgement in my favour and gave me a judgement order too to do the job for 2022.”
He lamented that instead of sticking to the agreement, the Chief Economic Adviser to Abia state Governor and also a consultant at the state Board of Internal Revenue (BIR), Sir Mac Atasie, offered him to forfeit the ASPIMSS job which he had already paid for, and go for consulting emblem.
“Coming to 2022, Mr. Mac Atasie called me for a meeting, that I should come and do consulting emblem for the state and collect 20% of the consulting emblem and forfeit ASPIMS. I said no it’s not possible. How can I forfeit ASPIMSS I have printed with over N45 million”?.
Erondu said his refusal made ‘them’ to send policemen after him “when I have a judgement order from a High court without quashing the judgement”
He alleged that even as the case is still in a court of appeal, Mac Atasie have continued to use police, Army to attack his workers.
He called on the Abia state government to allow him do his job for a year and vacate the position.
“I have already paid for the work and so far so good I’ve spent a lot of money on the work” Erondu said.
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