ABIA COMMISSIONER FOR FINANCE RESIGNS HIS APPOINTMENT
BY BENJAMIN KALU, UMUAHIA
Abia State Commissioner for Finance, Dr Aham Uko, resigned his appointment from the cabinet of Okezie Ikpeazu.
Competent sources within the government circles in Umuahia, told us that the renowned technocrat had resigned as commissioner about a month ago,but that they decided to keep it under wraps until after the elections.
According to our investigations, Dr. Aham Uko tendered his resignation letter to the Abia State Governor several weeks back, and his letter of resignation was duly acknowledged and accepted by the Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Barr. Chris Ezem.
Sources disclosed that the Abia Finance Commissioner resigned on personal grounds, according to his resignation letter dated on February 7th, 2023 was addressed to the Gov, Okezie Ikpeazu.
Efforts to get official confirmation from the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the SSG didn’t yield the expected results, however, cheques at the office of the Finance Commissioner revealed minimal activities but the official announcement is expected next week, some journalists in the state were told.
It was told that Dr Aham Uko decided to quit the cabinet and pursue his private business. It was also gathered that he offered to render any services that might be required of him by the Gov Ikpeazu led administration following his resignation on pro bono basis.
Dr Aham Uko took over the Ministry of Finance after Gov Ikpeazu’s re-election for a second term in 2019.His insistence on payment of workers’ salaries and pensions arrears often pitched him against the Accountant General whose popular refrain was “there is no money”. Oftentimes his advice on salaries payment were discarded by the latter who usually played the ethnic card to his advantage. Dr Uko had never been happy about the unpaid backlog of salaries,” the source disclosed, that Ikpeazu stop paying the workers in the State, both their leave claims and promotion areas since 2015 immediately became the governor of the state.
The reports has it that, what could have been a direct confrontation between him and the government was the Umuahia-Ikwuano federal Constituency seat which favoured the Ohuhu candidate, but was seriously contested for by the Speaker Engr. Chinedum Orji.
In the final analysis Sir Obi Aguocha of the Labour Party defeated Speaker Chinedum Orji of the PDP, in what analysts termed one of the greatest upsets in Abia’s political history.
Dr.Aham Uko was not only accused by a section of the PDP, his party, especially those loyal to those in charge of the state party of not only supporting the member-elect of the House of Representatives Sir Obi Aguocha of Labour Party, but that he equally made funds available for his campaign and that of Labour Party.
His resignation according to the information, might not be unconnected with some of these difficult situations and his insistence that the next member of the House of Reps seat for Umuahia-Ikwuano should come from his own Ohuhu side, in line with the rotation agreement that is in place.
