Gov. Otti Receives Judicial Panel Report, Reaffirms It Was Not Set Up for Vendetta

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has received the final report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties, Funds, and Related Matters, assuring that the initiative was never intended for vendetta or witch-hunting.

The report was formally presented to the Governor on Tuesday at Government House, Umuahia, by the chairperson of the panel, Hon. Justice Florence Duroha-Igwe (Rtd), alongside other members.

Governor Otti, while addressing the panel, explained that the essence of setting up the body was to provide clarity on issues that arose from the absence of a proper handover process by the previous administration.

“Setting up this Judicial Panel of Inquiry had nothing to do with vendetta, nor did it have anything to do with scapegoatism. We just needed to know what happened. Many concerns were raised by the people, and in a democracy, they deserved to be heard and investigated,” Otti said.

He assured that the government would take the recommendations seriously, revealing that a White Paper Committee had already been constituted to work on the reports. “These two volumes will be immediately dispatched to the Committee on the Production of the White Paper, which will serve as an instrument for necessary actions,” he added.

The Governor also commended Justice Duroha-Igwe and the panel members for their dedication over the last two years, noting that the government did not expect the process to take so long but was compelled to extend the panel’s work due to the overwhelming number of petitions and memoranda received.

Speaking earlier, Justice Duroha-Igwe disclosed that the panel received 350 petitions and memoranda in total, out of which 278 were heard and concluded. She added that the Governor had graciously directed the panel to return and complete work on the remaining 72 submissions to ensure no Abian was left unheard.

She explained that the final report was presented in two volumes: an addendum to the main report and an addendum to the proceedings. The retired jurist expressed gratitude to the Governor for the opportunity to serve.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, as well as other senior government officials, were present at the submission of the report.