11th January, 2023
By Leonard Okachie
The Labour Party Governorship Candidate in Abia, Dr Alex Otti, has said that he is in the race to fight the political class that allegedly stifled the development of the state.
Otti said this on Tuesday at Uturu, Isuikwuato Local Government Area, during his campaign to canvass for the people’s votes.
He regretted that Abia’s socio-economic trajectory under successive administrations since the return of democratic governance in 1999 had been abysmal and worrisome.
“From one bad administration to a worse successor in the hands of those that have held the state down and refused to allow it to develop.
“This unhealthy system has persisted and it looks like there is no man in the state strong enough to challenge and put an end to the rascality in governance.
“This is the strong factor that persuaded me to join the race in 2015, simply to rescue our state from the clutches of its enemies,” Otti said.
The governorship hopeful, who resigned as the Executive Director of the defunct Diamond Bank in 2014, said that he was not in the race to make money.
“God has blessed me and my family so we are not looking for money.
“We are coming to bring good governance in the state and ensure the socio-economic development of the state.
“We are coming to offer selfless service by ensuring that salaries, pensions and gratuities are paid as and when due.
“I’m the only man that has the capacity, competence and commitment to transform Abia,” Otti said.
He specifically promised to clear the outstanding arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities in the first six months of his assumption of office.
He further said that he would devote the security vote to offer revolving loans to the youths and women in order to empower them and create wealth.
He, therefore, urged them to organise themselves into cooperative societies to be able to get the loans “immediately we come into office”.
“When you create jobs and engage the youths in gainful ventures, you remove their attention from all sorts of violent crimes.
“These people who are into kidnapping, banditry and armed robbery are our children, who have no legitimate means of livelihood,” Otti said.
He promised to address the critical needs of the people in the areas of roads, education, health and other social amenities, when elected.
He thanked the people for their massive support for him in previous elections and urged them to replicate the same during the poll.
He also warned them to be wary of deceitful political office seeker, who had split themselves into different parties “to confuse the electorate”.
In a speech, the President-General of Uturu Development Union, Chief Chidi Ogbaegbe, identified bad roads and the lack of potable water as the greatest challenge facing Uturu clan.
Ogbaegbe said that efforts made over decades to drill water borehole had yielded no result, thus making life difficult for the people.
He said that to get water in the area was capital intensive and required government’s intervention.
He said that the area lacked state government’s presence.
He further contended that as the host community to the state-owned university, the people were not being fairly treated.
According to him, their people had not enjoyed key management positions in the university nor concessionary admission into professional courses for their children .
Ogbaegbe, therefore, appealed to Otti to remember the area and give it sense of belonging to reciprocate its massive support for him, when elected.
Earlier, Otti paid homage to the Isuikwuato Council of Traditional Rulers at the Palace of the Chairman and Traditional Ruler of Umuanyi Autonomous Community in Uturu, Eze Uwadiegwu Ogbonnaya.
He assured them of regular payment of their five per cent monthly allocation and other welfare packages.
The royal fathers, who prayed for his electoral victory, assured him of their commitment towards his emergence as Abia’s next governor.
They thanked him for the roads he attracted to the area through the Niger Delta Development Commission and hoped he would do more, when elected.
At Otamkpa, Otti also addressed Isuikwuato critical stakeholders and community leaders in the country home of Chief Charles Ojukwu, a one-time Chairman of Isuikwuato Local Government Area.
He also took his campaign to Ovim, where he addressed party faithful and supporters on his manifesto.
In his entourage were the candidates for the State and National Assemblies in Abia North, Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency and Isuikwuato State Constituency.
They are Chief Nnamdi Iro-Oji, Mr Amaobi Ogah and Mr Ifeanyi Njoko.
Others on the entourage included members of the Campaign Council, led by its Director-General and former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Acho Obioma.
(NAN)