The South East Good Governance Advocates (SEGGA) has condemned recent social media claims alleging that former Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, had been handed a death sentence, urging those behind the rumor to channel their energy toward issues of governance.
The position of the group was contained in a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja by its coordinator, Mark Onukwuwe, and secretary, Anozie Madu.
SEGGA dismissed the reports as false, stressing that the supposed judgment alleging that an Abia High Court convicted Ikpeazu of embezzling N5 trillion for airport and light rail projects was entirely fabricated.
The group pointed out that there is no judge by the name Emeka Nwogu in the Abia judiciary, making the alleged court ruling highly questionable. It added that under Nigerian law, corruption-related charges do not attract the death penalty, further proving the story baseless.
“The so-called judgment is nothing more than a malicious invention intended to damage the image of both Dr. Ikpeazu and the state judiciary,” the statement read.
SEGGA further described the story as a deliberate ploy to mislead the public and divert attention from pressing governance challenges in Abia State.
It emphasized that claims of a N5 trillion embezzlement were mathematically unrealistic, noting that Abia’s revenue inflows over a decade fall far below such figures.
The group therefore appealed to citizens to treat the death sentence rumor as fiction and instead focus on demanding accountability and good governance from current leaders.