Mike Nwabueze, a stalwart of the Peoples Democractic Party from the southeast, has called out the Governor of Abia State, Alex Ott, over alleged dictatorial style of leadership in the state.
This is even as he accused the aides of the state governor of usurping powers confered and execrised by members of the State Executive Committee who are designated commissioners.
Mr Nwabueze, also a former Special Adviser to the immedate past State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, stated this recently, while addressing newsmen in umuahia, the Abia state capital.
He decried the unfolding scenarios and attributed the phenomenon to negligences and executive recklessness.
According to him, “the situation is worse because the aides never passed through screening by lawmakers.
“By occupying offices as a commissioners in ministries, holding meetings with, and giving directives to permanent secretaries and directors of those ministries, the aides are usurping functions reserved for cabinet members.
“Did Otti ask the approval of the legislature to appoint the aides making them lack powers to execrise executive functions,” the ex-governor’s aide queried.
Nwabueze added, “Otti’s aides cannot execrise such powers, because they are only answerable to the governor but not accountable to the people through their elected representatives at the Abia state House of Assembly.”
The state PDP stakeholder called on Governor Alex Otti to emulate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who sought the consent and approval of the national assembly to appoint his Special Advisers before the appointments took place.
His words: “That is the difference between a democrat and a dictator. One respects the other arms of government while the other one in Abia state treats them with disdain.
“It’s either Otti is ignorant of how public service works in a democratic clime or he is just being in outrightly dictatorial.
“That the new Assembly had not been inaugurated when Otti appointed his special advisers is not an excuse as it was the outgone national assembly that approved Tinubu’s request for appointment of special advisers”.
Nwabueze who described the unfolding phenomenons as an affront to the legislature, regretted that the latest scenario also smacked a total disrespect to the civil service and its hierarchy,
He called on Abia civil servants to rise to the occassion and save the state from this act of tranny among several others allegedly committed by Governor Otti’s administration by resisting this gross anomaly.
Words: “It is unconventional for top hierarchy of the civil service to take instructions from aides of a Governor who are not accountable to the people because they did not pass through legislative screening and approvals”.