Governor Alex Otti claimed his administration has completed 414 road projects across Abia State, but the opposition All Progressives Congress wants him to show the list and prove it.
The APC, in a statement on Wednesday, said the governor's figure did not add up and raised questions about what roads had actually been fixed. The party demanded Otti publish a full inventory of all 414 projects, complete with locations, completion dates, and photographs.
Otti, who took office in June 2023, has made infrastructure his headline achievement. He has repeatedly boasted about the roads his government has fixed across the state's three senatorial zones. The roads claim became central to how his administration sold itself to voters ahead of the 2023 election.
But the APC's challenge goes deeper than just skepticism. The party alleged that the government was using propaganda to distract from what it called a failure to pay workers on time. Opposition figures said construction workers and contractors owed money by the government had complained they were not being settled, even as the administration announced new road projects.
"If the governor has truly completed 414 roads, he should have no difficulty providing us with the details," the APC statement read. "Let him show Abians where these roads are. Give us the names of the roads, the contractors, the contract values, and proof of completion. Let the people verify."
The party also questioned whether the figure of 414 included roads that were merely patched or resurfaced, or if it meant fully rehabilitated stretches. It suggested that Otti's government might be inflating numbers by counting minor repairs as completed projects.
Otti's administration has not yet responded to the APC's demands. Government officials who handle information had not released a statement by press time on Wednesday evening.
The roads issue has become a proxy for broader arguments about Otti's performance in his first year. Supporters point to visible improvements in major towns like Aba and Umuahia, where pot holes have been filled and some streets resurfaced. Critics counter that most roads in rural areas remain bad, and that the government's focus has been narrow.
The APC has called on civil society groups and journalists to investigate the claim independently. It said transparency would restore public confidence in government spending.
Otti's government is expected to respond within the next two weeks, according to sources close to the governor's office.
