Abia Govt also countered Otti’s allegations that PDP is trying to rig the state guber election and demanded the sack of the Returning Officer
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Abia state government has alleged that the state Returning Officer in the Saturday gubernatorial election, Prof Nnenna Otti is a cousin of the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Alex Otti.
This was disclosed in a statement made available on Tuesday by the Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnayo, who accused Otti of instigating innocent citizens in the state.
Chikamnayo also said the LP candidate is attempting to use strong-arm tactics, blackmail, and violence as instruments for “fraudulent power acquisition”.
The Abia government went on to counter Otti’s allegation that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu are plotting to rig the governorship election.
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It further demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should fire the state Returning Officer, over alleged family ties to the LP candidate.
The statement read: “The Returning Officer, Mrs Nnenna Otti is alleged to be Alex Otti’s Cousin. She must be removed immediately as she cannot continue to sit as a Judge in her own matter.
“Her open display of sentiments during the collation process has given her out as a participant, not an unbiased umpire.”