The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has accused Governor Alex Otti of misleading the public over the ownership of some road and bridge projects in the state, insisting that they are primarily projects of the Federal Government.
In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, the APC alleged a lack of proper information management within the Otti administration, particularly criticizing the governor’s spokesman, Ferdinand Ekeoma, for comments the party described as uninformed.
The party’s reaction followed remarks made during the recent APC congress in the state, where the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, addressed party members and highlighted several projects being executed in Abia State under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Among the projects mentioned were the reconstruction of the Omenuko Bridge and the Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road. The APC said the projects are federal government initiatives, contrary to claims that they are solely the achievements of the Abia State Government.
According to the party, Governor Otti had earlier acknowledged that the Omenuko Bridge reconstruction is a federal project during an inspection tour of federal projects in the state by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in November 2025.
The statement explained that the bridge project was initially awarded to Setraco Construction in 2015 and later reviewed in 2023. It added that the Abia State Government later sought approval from the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works to undertake the reconstruction under a reimbursement arrangement.
The APC also stated that the Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road project, attracted through APC lawmaker Samuel Onuigbo, was originally awarded in 2018 as a 43-kilometre federal road project, with about 19 kilometres already completed before the state government took over the remaining section due to issues of property encroachment.
The party further listed other ongoing federal road projects in the state to include the Owerrinta–Umuikaa Road Dualization, the Onuimo–Tower Road Dualization, and the Ohafia–Arochukwu Road.
According to the APC, some of the projects are being executed under a “build and be reimbursed” arrangement in which the Federal Government authorizes the state government to carry out the projects with the assurance of full reimbursement.
The party maintained that the projects remain federal initiatives since the Federal Government bears the financial responsibility for them.
The APC also called for greater transparency from the Abia State Government regarding the cost of the projects, alleging that details of the expenditures have not been fully disclosed to the public.
The party warned that it may petition the Federal Government and the National Assembly to suspend reimbursement processes for the projects if the state government continues to deny the Federal Government recognition for them.
The APC said it would continue to defend what it described as the contributions of President Tinubu’s administration to infrastructure development and federal appointments in Abia State.
