The campaign  organisation of the governorship  candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti, has decried the strategy adopted by the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu campaign group.

Otti’s campagn organisation said since the beginning of Abia State governorship campaigns, the Ikpeazu campaign organisation has done its worst to create all kinds of confusion and dissension in its main opposition, APGA, all of which has been fuelled by its morbid and understandable fear and loathing of Dr. Otti.

The position of the organisation was contained  in a statement signed by the Research and Strategy Adviser to Dr. Otti and his campaign group, Nnanna Ijomah.

The organisation  noted that a political campaign could be judged in terms of relevance, effectiveness, vision and organisational ability, but alleged that Ikpeazu’s campaign organisation is devoid of these important  elements.

It said it was in doubt if both the governor, his handlers and 3,000 special assistants sleep soundly at night without having recurring nightmares about their nemesis, Dr. Otti. It added that the campaign of calumny, adulterated stories, made up lies, bribery of disaffected APGA primary election losers, etc, notwithstanding their determined efforts, have all come to naught.

“It is pertinent to say you can ascertain the upward or downward trajectory of a campaign by the kind of message it chooses to propagate, usually towards the tail end of a campaign season, before voting day. It has become common knowledge, in political campaign parlance or practice, that the moment a campaign starts getting into what is generally referred as “gutter politics,” it is a blazing neon sign that it is running scared and afraid of defeat.

Related News

“In this case, character assassination in the form of fabricated stories, mis characterisation of events and innuendo become its weapon of choice, for the purpose of regaining a degree of political ascendancy, relevance and momentum. But, as the saying goes, “you can never lift yourself up by tearing someone else down through malicious lies.  Please note, deliberate and carefully manipulated lies are different from constructive criticisms based on verifiable facts, history and performance.

“However, not deterred and scared of the increasing support of Dr. Otti and practically all APGA candidates by Abia people, as witnessed by thousands of people who throng their campaign rallies from Obingwa to Arochukwu, the Ikpeazu campaign version of Lai Mohammed and Festus Keyamo, in the persons of the usual suspects of Ememanka and Okiyi Kalu, suddenly decided to have one more try in their desperate effort to tarnish the image of Otti and dent his rising popularity, by coming up with another spurious Diamond Bank-related lie.

“This time, as usual, it is a manufactured mendacious lie about how Otti, verbally approved the withdrawal of N1.2 billion from the bank when he was its CEO for the benefit of some People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains, in the persons of the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose and former Defence Minister of State, Musiliu Obanikoro.

“As proof of their stupidity, cluelessness and ignorance of banking rules, procedure and processes, it is laughable as it is incredulous that both Ememanka and Okiyi kalu would not know that no banking establishment, worthy of its name and reputation, would allow or dispense N1.2 billion from its vaults without some form of documentation.

“To falsely allege that Otti verbally approved the withdrawal of this said amount with the sole objective of impugning on his character and integrity, all in the name of politics, is not only wicked, malicious and evil but also unconscionable.

“Which then begs the question, how low can the Ikpeazu campaign go just to win re-election? As records have shown and as evidenced by the document recently released by the Director of Publicity of the Alex Otti campaign, Mr. Kazie Uko, there is absolute proof to the contrary that  Otti as managing director of Diamond Bank at the time had anything to do with verbal approval of the withdrawal…”