"I'm being owed 17 months salaries" - Ebonyi Lawmaker laments

BY UKAZ DAVE / ABAKALIKI

A Lawmaker who represented Ebonyi North West State Constituency in Ebonyi State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023, Hon. Victor Aleke, has alleged that he is being owed 17 month salaries and other entitlements including official cars for allegedly refusing to join the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).

Aleke said those entitlements are from February 2022 to May 2023 when he left the Assembly as a member.

The Lawmaker disclosed this while narrating his ordeal when he and other stakeholders of People’s Democratic Party(PDP) paid a visit to the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Dr. Augustine Nwazunku in his Abakaliki residence.

He alleged that he was forced by the former governor of the state on that February 2022 to join APC which he refused, leading to the withholding of all his entitlements as a member of the state Assembly.

He said nine members of the Assembly who also refused to join APC suffered same fate.

The nine member are; Hon. Odefa Obasi who was the Deputy Speaker and who represented Onicha East constituency, Hon. Oliver Osi who represented Ivo constituency, Hon. Ngozi Eziulo of Afikpo North East State constituency, Hon. Franca Okpo of Abakaliki North, Hon. Chidi Ejem of Afikpo South West among others.

Aleke who contested for House of Representatives at the last general election in the state, vowed that the alleged persecution cannot make him to leave PDP which he said made him what he is.

“I am being owed for 17 good months, I am being owed for 17 months from February 2022 to May this year. I kept my faith as a member of PDP because that party took me up from 2015 till date. My people voted for me and you want me to leave my party because of a crumb.

“My vehicles were sized, official vehicles. My rights were denied, I have never got a pin a member of Ebonyi State House of Assembly from February 2022 to May 2023, I have never been paid a salary or an imprest from February 2022 to May 2023 when I left the House of Assembly.

“But I am also happy being where I am and I cannot join APC because I don’t think they have a message I will take home to my people and tell them why I should leave my party, PDP. We are nine of use that were treated this way”, he stated.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.