The Association of Elected Former Councillors of Abia State has criticised past Governors of the State over allegedly denying them their rights, describing the situation as “wicked”.
It should be recalled that the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, on Sunday, February 15, 2026 pledged to begin payment of the arrears of salaries and entitlements owed elected councillors between 1999 and 2023.
Speaking on behalf of the group during their meeting with the Abia State Governor, their Coordinator, Chief Tony Agbanyim said:
“It has not been easy for us, Your Excellency. We have lost more than 80 of us to avoidable deaths. Those we served, worked with day and night and made Governors. failure of the Governors to pay them their earned salaries led to the untimely death of over 80 of their members.
“Our brothers who were Governors here, were busy buying vessels, buying aeroplanes, establishing Radio and TV houses and newspaper houses everywhere.
“Your Excellency, I want to tell you, when the commissioner said you’ve given instruction that PVs should be recasted and those that don’t have PVs, that local government should prepare PVs for them, that was when we started becoming alive again.”
