Profile
Okezie Victor Ikpeazu is the current governor of Abia State. He has been in office since May 29th, 2015 under the People’s Democratic Party. He is a biochemist, teacher and public servant.
Personal Life
He was born on 18th October 1964, to the family of late Pa Ishmael and Deaconess Bessie Ikpeazu of Umuebere in Umuobiakwa village, Isialaukwu, Mbato Autonomous Community in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. He is happily married to Mrs. Nkechi Okezie Ikpeazu, with four children. Ikpeazu is also a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Education
| S/N | Qualification | Schools Attended | Date |
| 1. | Primary Education | Amaise Central Primary School, Umuobiakwa | |
| 2. | Secondary education | Eziama High School Aba,
Ihie High School, Isiala Ngwa School Certificate Examination |
1973,
1979; |
| 3. | B.Sc. (Hons.) Second Class Upper Division | Clinical Biochemistry, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) | 1984 |
| 4. | M.Sc. degree in Biochemical Toxicology | University of Maiduguri | 1990 |
| 5. | Ph.D., in Biochemical Pharmacology | University of Calabar | 1994 |
Work History
| S/N | Position | Workplace | Date |
| 1. | National Youth Service (NYSC) Clinical biochemist | medical laboratory of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) Port Harcourt | 1984-1985 |
| 2. | Graduate-Assistant | Department of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Maiduguri | 1986-1987 |
| 3. | Lecturer | Calabar Polytechnic | 1990-1992 |
| 4. | Administrative Manager | Cash Bond Investments and Credits Ltd. Lagos | 1994-996 |
| 5. | Lecturer 1 | Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Department of Applied Biochemistry, Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences | 1998 |
| 6. | Head of Department | Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Department of Applied Biochemistry, Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences | 2001 |
| 7. | Adjunct Senior Lecturer | Department of Biochemistry, Ebonyi State University College of Basic Medical Sciences | 2000-2002 |
Political History
His entry into politics started when he was appointed as the Transition Committee Chairman for the Obingwa local government area in 2002 and 2003. He also served as the Special Adviser to the Abia State Governor of Abia State on Environment and Sanitation. Between 2007 to 2009, he worked as the General Manager of Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMS). Within that period, he was able to successfully make ASPIMS a revenue yielding agency of the government.
In 2010, he was appointed Chairman, Governing Council of Abia State College of Health Technology, Aba – a position he held till May 2011. Ikpeazu was re-appointed in 2011, as the General Manager of Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMS). He continued in this office until May 2013, when he was appointed the first Deputy General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) Aba and Environs – under the administration of Governor Theodore Orji.
Ikpeazu contested for the governorship of Abia State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party in 2015. He won the election. He was also re-elected for a second term in 2019, under the PDP platform.
He will be retiring from his current position as the Governor of Abia State in the 2023 election.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
2017 Governor of the Year conferred by Vanguard Newspaper
2017 Investor-Friendly State of the Year by Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award
2018 Outstanding Governor of the Year Award by African Independent Television (AIT)
2020 Recognition for Most Improved State in Education Development in Nigeria; Most Improved State in Promotion of Made in Nigeria Products and SME in Nigeria conferred by Business Day Newspaper
2021 Governor of the Year in SME Development by New Telegraph
Project
- Complete reconstruction of 128 roads in Abia state
- Partnership with the Turkish government to train over 50,000 local shoe and dressmakers in the state
- Construction of new government house in Ogurube layout, Umuahia
- Built 359 new classroom blocks in schools across the state
- Rehabilitation and re-opening of Aba General Hospital after 7-year closure
- Inauguration of the Abia State Scholarship Board, a committee set up to oversee the Abia State Scholarship Scheme which is dedicated to fully sponsoring the education of qualified Abia State indigenes (both home and foreign study).
Criticism/Controversy
- On December 31st, 2015, a Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State, sacked Ikpeazu as Governor and declared Alex Otti as the winner of both the April 11th and 25th, 2015 gubernatorial elections. Furthermore, on 27th June 2016, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja ordered Ikpeazu to vacate his office as governor, upon allegations of false information and forgery of documents prior to 2015 gubernatorial election. The suit was however dismissed by Justice A.I Allagoa of the Federal High Court Owerri, on the ground that the allegations of falsification could not be proven.
- In November 2020, the Peoples Gazette released a report reviewing Abia State’s financial records from 2016 to 2017. It showed huge amounts of government funds that were wired to associates of Ikpeazu and their companies. These include an estimated ₦3.4 billion to three companies owned by Enyinnaya Nwafor and ₦412 million in contracts to a company owned by Innocent Adiele.
