Passage Of N22B Supplementary Budget In Abia State – PDP Makes Strong Allegation

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, has accused the Executive Governor of the state, Dr. Alex Otti of giving monetary inducement to selected members of the 8th Abia State House of Assembly (ABSHA), to approve twenty two billion naira supplementary budget for him.

PDP in a statement issued by Elder Abraham Amah, it’s Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, alleged that governor Otti recalled some members of the Assembly who are currently on recess, and offered each of them N300,000, after which they approved the supplementary budget under two hours of sitting without observing the routines of plenary and adoption of a bill.

“The Abia PDP is more gravely concerned that Alex Otti has continued to assault the foundations of Abia democracy by bringing the House of Assembly under his direct and unworthy influence” the release read in part.

PDP called on Abians to condemn governor Alex Otti’s “abnormal” process of accessing funds from the common patrimony of Abians.

Meanwhile, the Abia state government led by Dr Alex Otti, said it got the approval of the state Assembly for a N22B virement fund.

Virement entails moving money that is not in use from a particular sector to another where it will serve a better purpose.

The approval followed the consideration of a letter by the governor presented by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Austin Mmeregini, at the house plenary session in Umuahia.

The Majority Leader, Mr. Uchenna Kalu, had moved a motion asking the lawmakers to consider the request.

Kalu said that the request was necessitated by the present administration’s desire to rebuild the state and improve the welfare of the citizenry.

“This bill is straightforward and seeks to vire money from the expenditure sub-heads, where they were not properly captured to the areas where they will be properly utilised and needed without actually increasing the budget.

“We are all aware that the present administration merged some ministries when it came on board, so it is proper for the state to vire funds from some of the ministries to the areas where they are needed in order to ensure the optimal utilisation of the funds.

“I urge my honourable colleagues to support this bill to enable the present administration to continue to deliver democracy dividend to the people,” Kalu said.

Ruling on the motion, the Deputy Speaker, who presided over the session, put the motion to vote and it was unanimously accepted by the lawmakers.

READ PDP’S FULL PRESS RELEASE BELOW:

ABIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBERS ON RECESS APPROVE N22B SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET FOR ALEX OTTI WITHIN TWO HOURS SEATING

The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to another shenanigan of the Alex Otti administration following his recall of a few members of the Abia State House of Assembly currently on recess who sat within two hours and approved a supplementary budget of N22b for him after he had allegedly induced and compromised them with N300,000 each.

This is grievous, unacceptable, opaque, unaccountable, unconventional and all lovers of democracy and separation of powers should join the Abia PDP to condemn this ignoble act in the strongest term. 

Customarily, when a bill is presented to the legislature for passage into a law, it has to go through formal stages notably; First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage (for detailed assessment of its merits) Third and Final Reading in a Committee of the Whole House for its adoption or otherwise before it is eventually sent to the governor for his assent. 

These stages normally take weeks or months, depending on the priority level of the bill and the Abia PDP is concerned and questions the altruistic motive of the Alex Otti in ensuring that the extant process of law making turned shambolic in this instance because it is practically impossible to pass a bill that would impact positively on Abians in just two hours. 

The Abia PDP is more gravely concerned that Alex Otti has continued to assault the foundations of Abia democracy by bringing the House of Assembly under his direct and unworthy influence. This is not the first time he is doing that and he is gradually but unknowingly building a wrong political culture that would haunt Abians if allowed to persist.

Abia PDP calls on all Abians of good conscience to condemn this abnormal process followed by Alex Otti to access money from our collective purse because the process may be speaking to intentions to fritter our collective patrimony. 

PDP – Power to the People!

Signed 

Hon. Abraham Amah

Abia PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary