Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has explained the reasons behind his decision to establish a judicial panel of inquiry tasked with recovering allegedly stolen government property from individuals who served in the previous administration.
The panel, chaired by Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duruoha-Igwe of the State High Court Umuahia, was recently established by Otti with the aim of recovering the state’s assets.
Governor Otti took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to share his rationale for setting up the panel. He stated that the decision was prompted by widespread allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former government officials.
In his tweet, Otti expressed his administration’s initial desire to focus on governance and delivering the dividends of democracy without resorting to inquiries into past actions. However, he highlighted the necessity for accountability and inquiry due to the significant allegations of misconduct, the challenges faced during the handover process, the inaccessibility of many assets, and the need to rebuild operations from scratch.
Governor Otti emphasized that the establishment of the panel was a response to the concerns raised by the citizens of Abia State regarding the alleged misuse of public resources.