Ikpeazu makes clarification on defection to APC, funds diversion claims

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Former Abia State Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has vehemently denied reports that he switched to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ikpeazu further denied any connection to the purported ₦1.9 trillion diversion, claiming the report was false and deceptive.

The former governor is still a PDP member, according to a statement sent on Sunday by his media adviser, Enyinnaya Appolo.

“Dr. Ikpeazu remains a devoted member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and in fact attended the most recent meeting of party stakeholders on November 18, 2025,” the statement stated.

“A simple verification from party officials or available public records would have clarified this,” the statement said, refuting a newspaper’s assertion that Ikpeazu defected to the APC in April 2024.

In response to claims that the former governor was charged with misappropriating ₦1.9 trillion by a KPMG audit, the statement stated, “For the avoidance of doubt, no such KPMG audit exists. What the current Abia State administration commissioned was a process review, not a financial audit.”

The statement cited a KPMG report titled “Final Report: Provision of Process Review Services to Abia State” that was sent to the governor of Abia State on March 2, 2024, and signed by Saheed Olawuyi, Partner, Enterprise Risk Services.

Quoting directly from the document, the statement clarified that, “This assignment was not performed by us in the capacity of a statutory auditor. Hence, this is not any form of financial statements audit of ABSG or any entity listed in the report.”

It further stressed that KPMG “did not conduct an inquiry or trial, sit as a tribunal or commission of inquiry, perform any adjudicatory function, or determine whether any individual was guilty or innocent of any offence.”

On the ₦1.9 trillion figure reported, the statement said, “The figure quoted in the publication does not align with the total revenue of Abia State under Dr. Ikpeazu’s administration,” adding that publicly available records under the SFTAS framework and the Federal Ministry of Finance contradict the claim.

It maintained that Dr. Ikpeazu has no pending corruption case anywhere, saying, “Dr. Ikpeazu has not been indicted, charged, or prosecuted in any court of law on this matter or on any corruption issue since leaving office.”

The statement urged the newspaper to publish a correction, especially as Dr. Ikpeazu is “a former Governor currently nominated for national service.”

It concluded that “Dr. Ikpeazu served Abia State diligently for eight uninterrupted years and left office without legal or administrative blemish,” and called for better verification in future reports.

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