…Ikpeazu doesn’t take alcohol, Adeyemi incoherent — Abia govt
By Ayo Fadimu
The lawmaker repre senting Kogi West Senatorial district, Smart Adeyemi, on Tuesday, steered reaction in the senate over his comment describing the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu as a “champagne drinking man.”
Adeyemi while speaking on a motion on Safe School Initiative in Nigeria said Abia State is governed by “drunkards.”
The lawmaker stated this while reacting to a post on social media allegedly linked to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who is from Abia.
It was reported that Abaribe in the post attacked the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Abaribe while reacting to the statement of Adeyemi said he is surprised that the lawmaker is making reference to a statement he did not make.
Adeyemi said while some governors were committed to the welfare and protection of their people, leaders in Abia State “are governed by drunkards.”
He said, “Despite that, some governors are doing their best, we are lucky to have a governor who has taken the issue of security as a serious priority.”
“We are bordered by nine states, but we had an experience of the unfortunate incidents that are happening in neighbouring states.
“Some governors are committed to the protection of their people. In my state, the governor awarded contracts for the renovations of schools and provides security services to them.
“In some states where we have highly intelligent people, highly educated people, very enterprising people, like Abia, they are governed by drunkards. The governor of Abia is a champagne drinking man.
“Abia people are impoverished more than ever before. Abia people are unfortunate.”
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, however, cautioned him against insulting the governor.
Abaribe who was not pleased with the statement of his colleague charged him to tender an apology to the governor of Abia.
Abaribe said, “Mr President, I will like to make a clarification. Unfortunately, what has happened here today is one of the problems that you see on social media. I never made any comment on the governor of Kogi State. Never!
“What has happened is what we see going on today. People write something and tag your name to it. And if you don’t ask a question, you will not know whether you actually said it or not.
“And I see so many things tagged to me but I don’t talk. The last time I saw Nuhu Ribadu, I also spoke to him. Something was ascribed to him that was very deleterious.
“I’m very surprised that my good friend and colleague decided to take on the governor of Abia for something I never said.”
However, in his swift response, Abia state government has described the comments of Smart Adeyemi, as lacking coherence.
The Chief Press Secretary to Abia state governor, Onyebuchi Ememanka, said Ikpeazu “does not take alcoholic drinks and he is shocked” by the development.
“If Senator Adeyemi was of sound mind, he should have known that when it comes to education, Abia is miles ahead of his home state of Kogi.
“Indeed, not just in education but in every single area of development,” Ememanka said.
“Under the watch of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia State has maintained first position in WAEC Examinations in the entire country for five years now. Kogi has not come close to the first 20.
“Just last week, the National Bureau of Statistics adjudged Abia state as No. 3 on the list of States that attracted foreign direct investments, with only Lagos and Abuja ahead of Abia state in the entire country.
“It takes much more than drinking champagne to guide a state from zero foreign investments to No. 3 in the country. Kogi state featured prominently on the list of states that attracted zero investments. It is only a state that is peaceful and secure that has the capacity to attract such cross border investments.”
Ememanka said since Ikpeazu became governor, there has not been any case of an attack on any school.
“While his state is still awarding contracts for the renovation of schools, Abia had long completed more than 500 classroom projects scattered across schools in Abia State, and still counting,” he said.
The aide wondered why the legislator did not make any comment when the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) branded Kogi unsafe.
“Senator Adeyemi was never heard to have either responded to that statement by the NCDC or raise it on the floor of the senate,” he said.
“Yet, he has the effrontery to abuse a governor whose state has maintained one of the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates in the country through proactive measures to protect our people.
“Between a governor who has consistently denied the existence of COVID and the one who has put in place measures to protect his people, one wonders who is the drunkard.”
Ememanka added that if not for the immunity Adeyemi enjoys on the floor of the senate, the governor would have sued him.