Abia denies dragging Tinubu, FG to ICC
Abia State Government, on Friday, denied that the state governor, Alex Otti, dragged the Federal Government and President Bola Tinubu before the International Criminal Court.
There have been media reports (not PUNCH) in the past few days that Otti dragged the duo to the ICC over the refusal to open a seaport in Abia.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko, in a statement, said, “Abia State Government’s attention has been drawn to a fake report trending on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), that the governor had sued the Nigerian government and President Bola Tinubu at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The fake news claims that Governor Otti sued the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President Tinubu for allegedly refusing to grant the request of the Abia governor to establish a seaport as well as an international airport in Abia.
“Another part of the badly stringed and concocted report alleges that Governor Otti had also placed a ban on businesses operated by Nigerians of northern extraction resident in Abia State until the approval for the establishment of the said seaport and international airport is granted.”
Uko maintained that the news was false and urged the public to disregard it.
Denying the claim, he further noted, “There is absolutely no truth in this wickedly contrived fable. We are still on the drawing board on the proposed seaport while the Federal Government provided for an airstrip in Abia in the current budget, for which we are grateful” and advised the public “to ignore the fake report, treat it for what it is, a trash, and consign it to the waste bin, as it is the handiwork of idle rabble-rousers.”
