Governor Otti Receives Final Report Of Judicial Panel Of Inquiry, Says Panel Not For Vendetta

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has received the final report of the Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties, Funds, and Related Matters, stressing that the panel was not set up to witch-hunt or settle political scores.

The report was presented at Government House, Umuahia, by the Chairperson of the Panel, Hon. Justice Florence Duroha-Igwe (Rtd), alongside members of the panel.

Governor Otti explained that the decision to establish the panel was borne out of the need to understand what transpired in the state prior to his administration, especially since no proper handover was conducted.

“Setting up this judicial panel of inquiry had nothing to do with vendetta, nor did it have anything to do with scapegoatism,” the governor said. “We just needed to know what happened. A lot of people had concerns which, in a democracy, needed to be heard and investigated.”

He assured that the government would treat the report with utmost seriousness, revealing that a White Paper Production Committee had already been constituted. The newly submitted two-volume report would be forwarded to the committee to finalize recommendations.

“So, one thing that I can confirm to you is that we are going to take this report very seriously. These two volumes will be immediately dispatched to the Committee on the Production of the White Paper,” Governor Otti stated.

The governor also thanked the panel for their dedication over more than two years, acknowledging that the volume of petitions and memoranda submitted exceeded expectations.

“We also did not expect the barrage of petitions and memoranda. At some point, you indicated that you had over 70 memoranda you had not been able to address. It was important to extend your mandate to ensure that no Abian was denied the right to be heard,” he said.

Earlier, Justice Duroha-Igwe disclosed that the panel received a total of 350 petitions and memoranda. Out of this, 278 were heard and concluded, while the remaining 72 were later processed following the governor’s directive.

“You did not wish that any Abian should be sent home without being heard,” Justice Duroha-Igwe said, commending the governor for granting the panel adequate time to complete its work.

She explained that the final submission comprised two volumes: an addendum to the main report and an addendum to the proceedings. She expressed appreciation to Governor Otti for the opportunity to serve the state.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, alongside other senior government officials, witnessed the presentation of the report.