Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has criticised his political opponents, including officials from the previous administration, labelling them “noise makers” amid criticisms over the recently completed Port Harcourt Road in Aba.

Speaking at Umuagbai Secondary School in Aba on Wednesday during a thanksgiving and carnival organised by the Aba community to celebrate the completion of the road and other projects, Otti alleged that the former administration under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu paid ₦9.8 billion to a contractor in 2017 for the same project, which was never delivered.

“So, listen to this response. In 2017, they awarded the contract for Port Harcourt Road. The amount at that time was ₦9.8 billion, and they paid the entire sum. But the road was not completed,” Otti stated.

He added that when his administration undertook the project in 2025 at a cost of ₦36.5 billion, critics began raising concerns about the expenditure.

Justifying the cost, the governor explained, “Since you understand mathematics, the average exchange rate in 2017 was ₦333 to the dollar. Applying that rate, ₦9.8 billion was equivalent to approximately USD 29 million.”

During the event, Governor Otti announced that 20 electric buses recently procured by the state government would be deployed within the next two months as part of efforts to improve public transportation in Abia State.

Otti also commended a tricycle rider in Aba who returned ₦2.4 million forgotten by a passenger in his vehicle. The governor rewarded the rider and praised him for his honesty.

The event convener, Onyeka Ernest Udeajah, and the State Chairman of the Cooperative Motor Union, Mr. Chukwuma Azodo, expressed appreciation to the government, stating that the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road had breathed new life into many previously collapsed businesses in the commercial city.