The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State has criticised Governor Peter Mbah following the reported resignation of the state Commissioner for Transport, Dr Obi Ozor, amid an alleged investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The party’s reaction followed a report by SaharaReporters alleging that the Enugu State Government had referred Ozor and his wife to the EFCC over allegations of fraud and the alleged embezzlement of billions of naira connected to the procurement of aircraft for Enugu Air.
According to the report cited by the ADC, Ozor and his wife were arrested and detained by the anti-graft agency for two days before they were released after the commission allegedly failed to find anything incriminating against them.
The party further alleged that after Ozor returned to his duties, he was locked out of his office and subsequently directed by the Secretary to the State Government to resign.
Reacting in a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Enugu State ADC said the reported resignation had reinforced its concerns about what it described as a lack of transparency and accountability in the Mbah administration.
The opposition party alleged that the administration had been operating in secrecy and accused Governor Mbah of running the state “like his private enterprise.”
“Contracts are awarded without competitive bidding. You do not see where the contracts are advertised as required by law. You hardly hear that contractors are pre-qualified. The government signs Memorandum of Understanding indiscriminately. Nobody knows how, when and how the agreements were negotiated,” the party said.
The ADC also questioned why the state government would allegedly suspect the Transport Commissioner of wrongdoing in the procurement of aircraft for Enugu Air if the process had been conducted in accordance with due process.
“If due process was followed in the procurement of the aircraft for Enugu Air, why would the state government suspect the Transport Commissioner of making a deal out of it, to the extent of dragging him to EFCC?” the party asked.
The opposition party said the development had vindicated its earlier concerns about the establishment and management of Enugu Air, as well as the administration’s handling of other major projects, including the Smart School and Type 3 Hospital projects.
The ADC alleged that some Smart School projects collapsed shortly after completion, while others were either not constructed or abandoned.
It further alleged that one of the contractors handling the Smart School project received more than N5.7 billion from the state government but failed to execute the project.
According to the party, the state government subsequently referred the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto, Dr Olasijibomi Ogundele, to the EFCC, where he was detained and later released on bail.
“We learnt that the EFCC recovered N1.2 billion from him and returned to Enugu State Government. What happened to the balance of N4.5 billion?” the ADC asked.
The party also alleged that the Type 3 hospitals were “literally abandoned” and claimed that some roads constructed under the administration had collapsed.
The ADC further accused the Mbah administration of imposing what it described as excessive taxes and levies on residents in an effort to finance infrastructure projects across the state.
The opposition party also criticised the demolition of Ogige Main Market in Nsukka, alleging that the exercise displaced about 7,000 traders.
It claimed that similar demolitions had been carried out at Holy Ghost and Abakpa, alleging that the government’s actions had negatively affected residents and businesses in the affected areas.
The ADC said the reported developments surrounding Ozor and the EFCC investigation raised further questions about transparency in the administration’s management of public funds and major government projects.
The party, however, used the development to reiterate its support for its governorship candidate, Ocho Obodoeze, ahead of the 2027 election.
It promised that an Obodoeze administration would operate transparently and ensure accountability in the award and execution of government contracts.
The party said Obodoeze would ensure competitive bidding and strict compliance with the Public Procurement Act in the award of government contracts.
“Under Obodoeze, there will be competitive bidding and strict compliance with the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts and he has assured that 80 percent of the contracts will be awarded to Enugu people who have the expertise to do the job, not fake contractors from outside who will take our money and elope,” the party said.
The allegations made by the ADC and those contained in the report it cited had not, in the material provided, been independently established, while the specific allegations concerning Ozor, his wife, the Enugu Air aircraft procurement and other projects remain subject to confirmation from the relevant authorities and persons named.