RIPPLES NIGERIA
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has accused his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu, of making desperate moves to stop a probe panel set up to recover goverment properties allegedly stolen during his tenure.
The government had set up a Judiciary Panel on the Recovery of Government Properties and Funds belonging to state with emphasis on the Ikpeazu administration.
However, Otti, in a statement on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko, said Ikpeazu was frustrating the panel by procuring court orders to stop it from carrying out its assignment.
According to the statement, Ikpeazu who was rattled by the establishment of the panel and had gone shopping for a court order in Abuja to stop the panel but without success.
“Unfortunately for Ikpeazu, every effort to surreptitiously obtain an order of the court against the panel has failed,” the statement reads.
“Twice, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former Governor had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja for ex parte order to restrain the Judicial Panel, from doing its work, but on the two occasions he was rebuffed by the courts.
”The two attempts were rejected because he failed to put the state government on notice as directed by the courts.
“A source conversant with details of the two futile moves by Ikpeazu puts it in proper perspective:
“Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the immediate past Governor of Abia State, had instituted Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/907/2023 DR. OKEZIE IKPEAZU & 3 ORS VS GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE & 8 ORS in the Abuja division of the Federal High Court and same was assigned to his Lordship Hon. Justice Omotosho J.
“In that suit, Dr. Ikpeazu sought (by way of an Ex-Parte application) to secure an ex-parte order to restrain a Judicial Panel of Enquiry set up by the Government of Abia State to recover government properties and funds.
