The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State has countered the Abia State government’s statement that it has begun the payment of eight years salary arrears to judiciary workers in the State, describing it as despicable and unconscionable. The PDP a statement issued on Saturday in Umuahia through , Elder Abraham Amah, it’s Vice Chairman and acting Publicity Secretary, said that judiciary workers in the State were not owed for eight years by the past administration of Okezie Ikpeazu, as claimed by the present administration.
It noted that the press statement by Governor Alex Otti’s Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko, were cheap lies in nature as according it, judiciary workers paid their due salaries and allowances as at May 29,2023 when the former Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu handed over to Otti. The opposition party which said that it’s position was supported by the Chief Registrar of Abia State High Court, Mrs Victoria Okey- Nwokeukwu and former Abia State Commissioner for finance, Mr Obinna Oriaku who said that Judges and judiciary workers were not owed salaries. The PDP insisted that it was the demands for financial autonomy and some other requests, that led to the strike action embarked upon by members of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
“The Abia PDP uses this opportunity to inform the good people of Abia State and Nigerians that judiciary workers in Abia State were paid their due salaries and allowances as at the time Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu handed over the reins of government to Alex Otti on May 29, 2023 and so the issue of eight years salary arrears is nothing but the wicked construction of Alex Otti administration to continue to ride on the back of lies and propaganda to cover up its incompetence in governance.
“Thankfully and to the vindication of Abia PDP and Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, as widely reported by the mainstream news media in Nigeria, the Chief Registrar of Abia State High Court, Mrs. Victoria Okey-Nwokeukwu had refuted the claim that Judges and judiciary workers in Abia State were owed salaries because according to her, Honorable Judges are paid by the National Judiciary Council, NJC while Abia State pays their allowances including vacation allowance which has been paid up to 2022 and she described the report that Judiciary workers were being owed eight years salary as misleading and an embarrassment to the State government”.
The umbrella party further accused the Governor Alex Otti’s administration of spending N552m so far under his ministry of information, to dish out his performance on the pages of newspapers. “The Abia PDP calls on the good people of Abia State to disregard the unintelligent lies of the Alex Otti administration and understand that Judiciary workers in Abia State are not owed any outstanding salary by the PDP administration of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Alex Otti should therefore tell Abians the Judiciary workers he has commenced paying their eight years salary arrears and to which accounts the money is paid into”, the PDP challenged. But responding to the PDP, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Mr Kazie Uko maintained the members of JUSUN in Abia State have already acknowledged commencement of payment of backlog of salaries and entitlements owed them by the previous administration.
The CPS who spoke to the News Echo correspondent on the phone, said the statement issued by the Abia State government concerning the payment of the judiciary worker ” are clear”. He advised that any body disputing the authenticity of the report, to approach the leaders of JUSUN in Abia State who he said, recently praised Governor Alex Otti for commencing the payment of their salaries and other entitlements owed them by the previous administration. “What are they (PDP) saying? Are they saying that they did not owe judiciary workers?
Then, why did the judiciary workers go on strike?”, the CPS asked. He added that the Governor Alex Otti is cleaning the alleged mess left in Abia State by the eighth years of the past PDP government.