{"id":234076,"date":"2025-08-10T00:49:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T00:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/2025-q2-report-abia-pdp-is-playing-opposition-like-a-joke-alex-ottis-media-adviser-slams-critics\/"},"modified":"2025-08-10T00:49:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T00:49:38","slug":"2025-q2-report-abia-pdp-is-playing-opposition-like-a-joke-alex-ottis-media-adviser-slams-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/2025-q2-report-abia-pdp-is-playing-opposition-like-a-joke-alex-ottis-media-adviser-slams-critics\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Q2 Report: Abia PDP is Playing Opposition Like a Joke \u2013 Alex Otti\u2019s Media Adviser Slams Critics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>2025 Q2 Report: <a href=\"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/abia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abia <\/a>PDP is Playing Opposition Like a Joke \u2013 Alex Otti\u2019s Media Adviser Slams Critics<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<h4 data-start=\"5382\" data-end=\"5638\"><em>Abia\u2019s ruling government has blasted PDP over what it calls false and malicious claims about the state\u2019s finances and projects. From salaries to infrastructure, the government lays out its defense in a fiery statement. Full details inside.<\/em><\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2 Years Milestone: Ministry of Trade and Commerce Highlights Governor Alex Otti\u2019s Impact\" width=\"740\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M4WQZprErgo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"kvezio kvezio-clearfix kvezio-post-inline kvezio-float-center kvezio-align-center kvezio-column-1\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How Governor Alex Otti Is Transforming Abia\u2019s Economy \u2013 Chief Nwaobilor Speaks Out\" width=\"740\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QnEsD0LfBHI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Umuahia, <a href=\"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/abia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abia <\/a>State<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 The <a href=\"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/abia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abia <\/a>State Government has fired back at the <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/peoplesdemocraticparty.com.ng\/en\">Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)<\/a> over what it described as \u201coutlandish, misleading and malicious\u201d claims contained in the opposition party\u2019s so-called \u201cShadow Government Review\u201d of the state\u2019s 2025 second-quarter performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a strongly-worded statement issued by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity, the government dismissed the PDP\u2019s entire report as an \u201cembarrassing display of ignorance, propaganda, and selective amnesia\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ekeoma began by lampooning the PDP\u2019s self-proclaimed shadow government, stressing that such a structure has no place in Nigeria\u2019s presidential system and had been warned against both by the <a href=\"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/abia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abia <\/a>State Government and the Federal Government.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA political party has all the institutional organs to function responsibly without becoming a nuisance to the people,\u201d he said, warning that any further attempt to operate such a pseudo-government would attract \u201ca more fierce response\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>On Salaries and Welfare of Civil Servants<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The statement tore into PDP\u2019s allegations of fiscal mismanagement, revealing that under the previous administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/abia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abia <\/a>was the only state that refused to implement the \u20a635,000 minimum wage agreed between the Federal Government and organised labour. Civil servants were earning as low as \u20a630,000 and were often left unpaid for months.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, Ekeoma said Governor Otti was one of the first governors in Nigeria to implement the \u20a670,000 minimum wage and consequential adjustments, \u201cpaying salaries religiously on or before the 28th of every month.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The aide revealed that the number of verified civil servants now stands at 67,000 (excluding over 5,395 newly recruited teachers) compared to the 30,000 figure claimed by the PDP in 2022, a disparity caused by the previous administration\u2019s classification of thousands as \u201cnon-core\u201d staff who were denied full pay.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>On IGR Performance<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"kvezio kvezio-clearfix kvezio-post-middle kvezio-float-center kvezio-align-center kvezio-column-1\">\n<div id=\"kvezio-178990-1802206652\" class=\"kvezio-container kvezio-type-image \" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/WPAdBlock\" data-adid=\"178990\" data-type=\"image\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" itemprop=\"url\" class=\"kvezio-link\" href=\"https:\/\/afnews.sumofunnel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Specil-Edition-of-Gov.-Alex-Otti-One-Year-In-Office-2024.pdf\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"kvezio-image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/afnews.sumofunnel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cover-1-scaled.jpg?w=1170&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"news paper\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Reacting to PDP\u2019s claim that the state\u2019s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) dropped from \u20a614 billion in Q1 to \u20a613.2 billion in Q2, Ekeoma explained that revenue collection is seasonally affected, with better results in the dry season.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He pointed out that Abia\u2019s IGR has grown by over 200% in two years \u2013 from \u20a620.1 billion annually in 2022 (less than \u20a61.7 billion per month) to \u20a64.65 billion monthly in 2025 without double taxation or extortion.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>On Capital Projects<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The aide mocked PDP\u2019s demand for itemised capital expenditure reports, saying \u20a675 billion spent in Q2 alone is visibly reflected in ongoing projects across education, healthcare, infrastructure, security, waste management, sports, and civil service reforms.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the PDP is asking such a question in a state where 200 Primary Health Centres, 7 General Hospitals, and massive road projects are underway, then they have intentionally refused to acknowledge the truth visible to everyone,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>On External Debt<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the harshest words came when addressing PDP\u2019s claim of a \u20a675 billion increase in external debt. Ekeoma accused the party of parroting misinformation from former finance commissioner Obinna Oriaku, calling it \u201cwicked and dishonourable\u201d to suggest the Otti administration borrowed the money.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He explained that the rise from \u20a680 billion to \u20a6155 billion was purely due to naira depreciation from \u20a6460\/$1 to about \u20a61,550\/$1, affecting the value of debts incurred by PDP\u2019s own government.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Final Shot at PDP<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ekeoma ended by accusing the PDP of \u201cplaying opposition like a joke\u201d, saying their focus seems to be media relevance ahead of the 2027 elections rather than credible governance critique.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGovernor Alex Otti will never copy PDP\u2019s reckless borrowing style, and whenever he chooses to borrow, it will be strictly for the state\u2019s development,\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/afnews.ng\/2025-q2-report-pdp-is-playing-opposition-like-a-joke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2025 Q2 Report: Abia PDP is Playing Opposition Like a Joke \u2013 Alex Otti\u2019s Media Adviser Slams Critics Abia\u2019s ruling government has blasted PDP over what it calls false and malicious claims about the state\u2019s finances and projects. From salaries to infrastructure, the government lays out its defense in a fiery statement. Full details inside. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-234076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234076\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}