The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has disclosed the state government’s plan to probe financial transactions recorded in the state during the eight-year administration (2007-2015) of the immediate past governor, Martin Elechi.
Umahi made the disclosure in Abakaliki the state capital on Saturday while fielding questions from newsmen on the financial situation of the state, and the resolutions adopted by the South-East Governors Forum on Friday in Enugu, among other issues.
The state chief executive said he would write to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe every financial transaction in the state within the eight-year period.
“I have decided to probe the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Martin Elechi, he has committed unpardonable crimes,” he alleged.
He claimed that Elechi never paid severance allowance and pension to past office holders during the period.
“We are the ones paying pension from 2009 till date and severance allowance; it is by human feelings that I paid former Governor Elechi his pension, otherwise he does not deserve to collect the pension, he did not pay others while in office,” he stated.
He challenged the former governor to inform the citizens of the state how much he fixed in banks for the benefit of the state alleging, “They would allow billions to be fixed in their private accounts and the interest accruing to their private pockets.”
He said, “Since we came on board over N2bn has been generated as interest as a result of funds fixed that are not immediately used, our 2015 detailed expenditure is ready, I will parcel it to EFCC for them to audit it, the same with the 2016 and 2017 respectively.
On the resolutions adopted by the South-East Governors Forum during their meeting, Umahi said, “The proscription of IPOB has doused tension in the entire five states of the South-East geopolitical zone of the state; we are not looking to secede from Nigeria.”
“We are advocating restructuring of the country as a panacea for solving the multi-faceted problems confronting the nation, it is a solution to our problems, it would guarantee equity, fairness and justice to all,” he submitted.
