Contractor threatens legal action against ex-Abia Speaker over media remarks
By Steve Oko
An indigenous contractor and Chairman of Daman Resources, Chief Ako Obioma, had threatened to institute a legal action against the immediate-past Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, over alleged uncomplimentary media remarks against his person.

Obioma who addressed a press conference in Umuahia, said he had instructed his lawyers to sue the former Speaker if he failed to retract and apologize over the alleged comments which he claimed had badly damaged his reputation.
The contractor who recounted how he rose to fame from a humble background by dint of hardwork, challenged anybody with any record of dent about him to provide proof.
He, therefore, wondered why anybody would go to the press to label him “a scammer and a fraudulent contractor”.
Obioma claimed that the smear campaign against him was intended to blackmail him and stop the State Government from paying him the debt owed him from the contracts he executed for the state in the past.
According to him, Abia State Government engaged him to rebuild the 14 Brigade Army Barracks Ohafia, build a helipad at Isuikwuato, and road projects at Ikwuano, totaling N4.2 billion, but refused to pay him, citing paucity of funds.
He claimed that his recent advice to Gov. Alex Otti to be ware of sycophants and to avoid the mistakes of his predecessors, earned him persecutions by detractors who see his family as threat.
” One of my crimes is not to allow them to destroy my brother politically, and that’s why they wanted to destroy me financially, thinking that through him I would fund Alex Otti”.
He further said that his disagreement that Abia Government House was on a rented apartment was part of the reason he was being persecuted.
” If Abia Government House is on rented apartment, who collects the rent?”
Obioma who claimed that he built most of the structures at the Government House including the Chapel which was a personal donation, insisted that the Government House belongs to the State Government.
He alleged that the renewed smear campaign against him was to stop the new administration in the state from paying him.
“They are trying to stop Government from paying me. It’s my sweat and I must live to get back my money. They are owing me N4.2 billion but an Arbitration panel resolved N2.119 billion in my favour. Instead of paying me the past administration went to court again.
” I would have died out of frustration if I had borrowed from any bank. Some contractors died because of frustration. I want to be paid”.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the former Speaker, Jude Ndukwe, said it was unbelievable “for anybody to think that the ex- Speaker who is in PDP will frustrate the payment of a contractor in a Labour Party-led Government”.
He asked the contractor to stop pointing accusing fingers at the former Speaker who he said had no grouse with him.
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