Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Abia state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti has finally dumped his former party for
the All Progressives Congress (APC). The former Managing Director/CEO
of defunct Diamond Bank said he joined APC with over 450, 000 of his
followers.
Among those who moved over to APC with Otti on Friday were his running
mate, Dr. (Mrs) Uche Eme Uche, Chief David Ogbo Onuoha (Bourdex),
Chief Chris Nkwonta (both of who ran for Abia North and South
senatorial Districts election in 2019), Navy Command Mac Donald Uba
(retd), former House of Assembly members and lots of others.
Speaking during his official declaration for APC at his Ehi na Uguru
Ward 5 in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government, Otti said he and his
followers did not leave APGA because they could not achieve their
political desire, but to stand on a better platform “for the good of
Abia”.
“It is pertinent to put on record the fact that through the hard work
of our supporters, we were able to make APGA a very formidable party
in the state that it won 11 out of the 24 House of Assembly seats and
a Federal House of Representative seat after the 2015 election.
“It is on record also that we overwhelmingly won the governorship
mandate of the state before PDP invaded the collation centre and
brazenly stole the mandate, but we have put the whole incident and
many ugly ones behind us”.
Otti who met with senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor kalu a week
before his declaration said prior to the 2019 election, his supporters
and some leaders of APC had urged him to join APC, but that he did not
find such move expedient before now.
“But after long consultations and considerations, we now believe that
the time has come to join forces with the APC and henceforth fight on
the same side for the emancipation of our state from the choke-hold of
the PDP and its cohorts. It is now clear to everyone that PDP is like
a monster, which has its knees on the throats of Abians”, the
ex-banker said.
While assuring leaders of APC at the party secretariat in Umuahia
where he was presented to the state Exco by the LG executive that he
had not come to struggle for party office with anybody, Otti said his
quest was to serve to create better life for Abia people.
Receiving the former APGA governorship candidate into APC, state
chairman of the party, Chief Donatus Nwankpa expressed joy that Otti
has at last joined the moving train.
Nwankpa while saying all the new entrants would not be treated
differently in the affairs of the party assured Otti of a level
playing field.