Nnaya Eziyi, Umuahia
Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia state, Mr. Alex Otti has said that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was yet to get his bearing right in the governance of the state.
He stated this at a grand civic reception in his honor organized by Umunneato (Isiala Ngwa South, Isiala Ngwa North and Osisioma local governments) Caucus of Abia First and APGA.
He said; “We regret to observe that some of those ills we identified not too long ago, and for which we were verbally attacked have yet to receive serious attention from the government.”
To buttress his claim Otti cited the upsurge in kidnapping, noting that his party had “harped on the need for the government to take very drastic, decisive and far reaching actions against kidnappers and listed those things we felt government should do.”
He said that while the recent demolition of a structure serving as safe haven for kidnappers in Ugwunagbo local government was a welcome development it still fell short of finding lasting solution to the nagging problem.
He condemned the deployment of “revenue touts” by Abia government, noting that the recent accidents that led to the deaths of people at Ogbor Hill and Milverton Avenue areas of Aba were caused by touts dragging steering with truck drivers.
The APGA governorship candidate in the 2015 poll blasted Ikpeazu for allowing heaps of refuse to overwhelm Umuahia, the capital city two years into his tenure.
Otti declared that the project embarked upon by his party aimed at “reclaiming and restoring Abia to Abians” has not ended despite the final outcome of the governorship race and its attendant legal battles.
He said that the ‘Abia Project’ required such “commitment, courage and capacity” as exhibited by the organizers of the event held in his country home in Umuru Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South local government.
The former bank boss told his teeming supporters at the occasion that he was overwhelmed by their expression of love, support and solidarity “even in disappointment thereby proving that the people of Abia were still yearning to liberate their state from maladministration.
“The reason behind such unprecedented support even till this moment is that the people saw and still see the seriousness, sincerity and capacity with which we came to the electioneering process in the state,” he said.
On the 2019 governorship race Otti said that he was yet to decide whether to give it another shot, assuring his audience that in the meantime APGA has resolved to stand firmly as opposition because “we shall not join the queue of sycophants and hand clappers’.
He said: “Ours is neither a hostile nor a cowardly opposition, but we shall strive under the veritable and rejuvenated platform of our dear party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance to remain honest, but firm and fearless in identifying those ills that retard development in Abia while offering ideas and solutions to them from outside the corridors of power.”
