Dr. Alex Otti, the newly inaugurated Governor of Abia State, has issued a directive to freeze all accounts belonging to the Abia State Government and its agencies across banks and financial institutions in the state and the entire country.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that this development comes after Otti, a member of the Labour Party (LP), was sworn in as the Executive Governor of Abia State on Monday, May 29, 2023, effectively ending the 24-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
According to a statement released by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Special Adviser to Governor Otti on Media and Publicity, all banks and financial institutions in the country have been instructed to immediately refrain from honouring any cheque, document, instrument, or directive that does not have explicit approval from or emanate from Dr. Otti.
“Furthermore, Governor Otti has directed the immediate dissolution of all boards governing Abia State Government agencies and parastatals. Subsequently, the Chief Executives of these organisations have been ordered to hand over their duties to the individuals next in line,” Ekeoma added.
It should be noted that back in April, an ex parte decision from an Abuja court reportedly resulted in the freezing of Abia State’s bank accounts.
However, at that time, Dr. Otti denied allegations that he had issued the order to freeze the accounts.
He maintained that he was unaware of the individuals responsible for obtaining the court order and argued that, as a member of the Labour Party, he was not permitted to file such a lawsuit, as freezing the accounts could adversely impact his administration starting May 29.
