IVM vs Abia lawmakers: PDP tackles Otti, says he lacks transparency

 

Joseph Irikefe

 

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday, called out the Abia State Government led by Mr. Alex Otti, saying it was not not transparent in its handling of its official matters, a development the party said had on several occasions led to embarrassment to the people of the state.

The admonition, is coming against the backdrop of the contract tussle between the Abia State government and Innosson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) over the alleged non-supply of vehicles purportedly paid for by the state government, leading to accusations and denials.

Abraham Amah, Vice Chairman who is also the spokesman of the party, who condemned the development, particularly dwelt on the spat between the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Emeruwa and IVM, describing it as not only needless but a revelation of a lack of due process and transparency in the conduct of government business by the current administration.

Emeruwa, had told reporters, as captured in a viral video that the government of Otti, had made payments for the purchase of the vehicles for the use of members of the assembly, which IVM had failed to supply one year after, a claim the company quickly debunked.

In the said video, the Speaker, who said the decision to buy from the company was purely to promote local content, not only threatened to terminate its contract with IVM for allegedly reneging on an agreement to produce vehicles for all the lawmakers, but bemoaned a situation where members would have to continue waiting for their cars since after their inauguration, saying it was unacceptable.

However Cornel Osigwe, IVM spokesman, in a quick riposte, denied that the company received payment from the Umuahia for the purpose of supplying the vehicles, adding that because the said vehicles were of a special order, which required special features, the company refused to accept such payment until the cars were fully produced.

“In accordance with the Governor’s initiative to promote local products, we took this project very seriously and produced a sample for approval by the Governor. During this process, the Governor suggested some remodifications, which we promptly implemented to meet his specified requirements.

“As of today, we would like to inform the public that we have completed all modifications and have addressed any initial defects. The new model vehicles are currently undergoing rigorous testing at our quality control section. We are pleased to announce that the vehicles will be ready by the end of this month and the supply will be completed by the beginning of next month. “When the governor requested to make payment IVM made a conscious decision not to accept any payment until the vehicles were finally produced and delivered, adding therefore, that the House of Assembly’s claim that payment has been made is inaccurate. We would like to express our gratitude to the Government of Abia State for their continued support and patronage. We want to reassure them that we have taken significant measures to prevent future delays and uphold our commitment to delivering high-quality vehicles.

“Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Ltd remains dedicated to providing excellent products and services to our esteemed customers. We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter.”

Amah, who said that the revelation made by IVM that it did not receive any payment from the Abia State government concerning the vehicles Emeruwa was talking about showed a total and embarrassing disconnect between the roles and actions of the operators of the Abia government, added that the PDP was concerned that this situation assaulted the concept of separation of powers and debased democracy.

“In the first place, it is an infringement on the independence of the legislature that the governor should be the one to award contracts for the purchase of vehicles for legislators. As a separate arm of government, the Assembly should be the one to award the contract for its vehicles; its budget should be on the first line charge to enable it to maintain its independence.

“This unconventional situation brings the legislators under the influence of the governor and it is difficult to see how they can maintain their independence if they have to depend on him for their welfare. What is even more shocking is that the Speaker had relied on oral evidence from the governor who told him that he had made payments for the vehicles and unfortunately, the company, not the Abia PDP, refuted the governor’s claims.

“That shows that the award did not pass through the due procurement process. What is more unfortunate is that the governor’s penchant for giving out wrong information to the public is also on full display within the highest echelon of the operators of this government. We call on Governor Otti to restore the independence of the legislature, become transparent to his fellow operatives in government and Abia people and ensure that due process and accountability are followed in the conduct of government business.”