Abia Is Free, Indeed We Are Free!

Alex Otti Budget

The governorship election was rescheduled by INEC from March 11 to 18, 2023 in all the 28 states where elections are supposed to hold. The good people of Abia state waited patiently with determination to cast their votes for the man of their choice. The March 18 eventually came, citizens of Abia peacefully went to the polls. When results began to emerge signifying that Dr. Alex Otti of the LP is leading comfortably in most of the LGAs, the incumbent governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu unleashed thugs to disrupt proceedings in Obingwa LGA in particular.

How Gov. Ikpeazu ever imagined he and his PDP was going to win in this election baffles any right thinking Abian. PDP from all parameters failed woefully in governance. It is not debatable. It is a FACT. The election that was held since Saturday with result of the governorship known to elementary school pupils was dragged to Abuja. Okezie Ikpeazu and his PDP had thought of manipulating the Obingwa results to their advantage. But the Chief Returning Officer for Abia State INEC, Prof. Nnenna Nnannanya-Oti, a woman of repute, frustrated all their evil machinations.

24 years after, the PDP in Abia state was a big disappointment, a political disaster that ever happened here. Abia state, one of the component states in Nigeria with great potentials saw Mr. Orji Uzor Kalu emerged as the first executive governor of Abia state. Orji Kalu spent 8 years (1999-2007) and laid a dysfunctional governance structure that brought Abia state to its knees. Orji Kalu’s tenure was a complete fraud.

Orji Kalu installed Mr. TA Orji, his then Chief of Staff. They later fell apart because of political differences and treasury looting formula. TA Orji spent 8 years (2007-2015) and worsened governance in the state. He and his son, Chinedu Orji, pocketed governance and the state treasury like never before. The duo of father and son became emperors. Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu was brought in as governor by TA Orji. He became the third executive governor of the state (2015-till date). He has achieved nothing, absolutely nothing since he arrived the scene in 2015. Okezie Ikpeazu cannot proudly beat his chest for having achieved any developmental goal in the state as the governor. All these men who occupied Government House in Abia state between 1999 to this date were then members of the PDP.

These men sat powerfully round the administrative and financial decisions of the state. The tenures of these men were nothing to write home about. Nothing good came out of it. Their tenures were shambolic and destructive. These three men ruined Abia state. They destroyed whatever was achieved of development, that Chief Sam Mbakwe of blessed memory recorded as the governor of old Imo state which included Abia.

Abia for 24 years witnessed the highest form of wickedness from its elected officials. They looted the state’s treasury mercilessly, sidelined every atom of development and infrastructural enhancement. They abandoned the youths to decay. They assisted the youths to form drinking, smoking and cult clubs. The young men became their tools in unleashing terror against their political or economic opponents. They ensured that our young ones lose focus and drive for education and trade acquisition. They abandoned whatever institution that could support the growth of our future builders.

To God be the glory, Abia has been reclaimed from the shenanigans, looters, and criminal elements who superintended over the state since 1999. It is the determination, the indefatigable and indomitable spirit of the men, women and youths of the state that did the needful. Truly, the people rose when it matters most in the political history of Abia state. Abia has been redeemed from comatose, redeemed from infrastructural deficit. God’s Own State has been saved from socio-economic setback.

For 24 years, Abia was thrown into darkness, set backward. Abia state treasury became personal accounts of few individuals who decided on how our commonwealth will be shared. Salaries and pensions of workers were denied them. No funding was approved and paid for the development of schools, hospitals, roads and other state institutions. Abia was held down by these jackboots.

Abians are fulfilled that the most popular and acceptable of all the candidates who vied for the guber election in Abia, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti has been declared winner. It is deserving. It is victory for God’s Own People. The expression of joy, hugs, hand-shakes and shouts of congratulations by the people of Abia for the victory of Dr. Otti of the Labour Party has proven that, indeed people were sick and tired of the fallen PDP. The people only waited patiently for this moment to cast the PDP to political oblivion.  Ndi Abia were angry and frustrated at the way the PDP governed the state over the years. They treated the rest of the people with impunity, ignominy and abandonment. They never sensed that they were in power for the social and economic well-being of the people.

No empire, they say, lasts forever, the political empire of TA Orji and son has finally crumbled. No power can conquer the unity and determination of people. The great people of Abia decided that enough is enough, that power must change hand. They voted massively against the political merchants, people whose only interest is the protection of their political dynasty and personal aggrandizement. The people decided against the continuous looting of the state treasury. They came together to emancipate the state from socio-economic slavery, poverty and hardship.

Our trust and hope in Dr. Alex Otti will surely not be in vain. This is a man with vision and zeal to improve Abia. He has credibility, capacity and character to achieve greater heights in Abia. He is not a man after the wealth of Abia state. He has acquired wealth by all standard. His only mission is to organize governance to attract positive records. Dr. Otti wants to turn around the socio-economic standard of the state. Make Aba a modern market and factory it ought to be. Build infrastructures that will necessitate development in the state. He has plans to transform education and health sector. Inject life into agriculture for food sustainability. The payment of workers and pensioners won’t be a problem for this trained manager of people, economist and successful banker.

Ndi Abia, Ndewo nu o! Abia ga di mma!

Uzodinma Nwaogbe

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