A Twitter user, @CossyCosydiva, has claimed that Abia state Governor-elect, Alex Otti, has secured a $50million dollars funding for the construction of a 500km road network in Abia state.
The claim, which was posted in Pidgin English on April 13, 2023, read thus:
”Otti never enter, he don already secure funds of 50 million dollars that would construct 500km road network in Abia State. This is why i fought for him.”
The post has since garnered over 4,600 likes and more than 600 retweets, with over 240,000 views as of Sunday, April 16, 2023.
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Alex Otti, a retired bank executive, emerged victorious after defeating his closest rival, Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Abia state governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
CLAIM
Alex Otti secures $50 million dollars for 500km road construction in Abia state.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
News report published by the Punch newspaper on April 13, 2023 states that Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has secured a $50 million dollars fund that will facilitate the construction of 500 kilometers of roads in the state by the incoming administration.
Also, a check on the verified Twitter page of Alex Otti, does not suggest that the governor-elect posted any information regarding the funds on the page.
His recent post on the page indicated that Mr. Otti inaugurated the 2023 Abia State Transition Council at Panyu Hotel in Aba.
This was also reported by several credible media platforms including the Guardian, ThisDay and Punch etc.
Reacting to the claim, Abdulsemihi Oladele, principal counsel at Abdulsemihi Oladele & Co, Lagos, said the governor-elect does not have the power to secure a loan on behalf of the state until he assumes office.
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“A governor-elect has no authority whatsoever in law to carry out any action on behalf of the state until he takes an oath of office; meaning, he has no authority to secure loan for the state before being sworn-in.
“The only action our law grants a governor-elect before inauguration is to constitute a transition committee and participate in the process of a smooth handing over of government from the outgoing administration,” he told The FactCheckHub via WhatsApp message in response to our inquiry.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Alex Otti secured $50 million dollars for road construction in Abia State is FALSE; media reports indicated that the outgoing Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, secured the $50 million dollars fund for the road construction that will be handled by the incoming administration.
