The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has said that he does not have any personal problem with the incumbent governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu, order than the fact that the governor lacks the capacity to govern the state.
Otti, who said he was propelled by love in his quest to rescue Abia State, told a large crowd of charged Abia youth who gathered in Umuahia on Thursday, to celebrate the Valentine’s Day with him and his wife, at an event, “Valentine with Alex and Priscilla”, that Ikpeazu was a product of godfatherism and therefore malleable and susceptible to manipulation.
He said that governor Ikpeazu with his limited capacity, coupled with the overbearing influence of his godfather, T. A. Orji, had done the best he could for Abia State and unfortunately his best was not good enough and therefore did not have any need to aspire to lead the state for a second term.
According to Dr. Otti, “We do not have any problem with him as a person, but we have problem with his ideas. We have problem with his vision or lack thereof. We have problems with his leadership quality, again, or lack thereof. He has done his best. Our verdict, as Abia people, is that his best is not good enough. Everybody does his best in his first term, so if this (the state of Abia today) is his best then begin to think of what will happen if in the very, very unlikely event that you let him have a second term; he will go to bed”.
He added: “So, that’s my problem and I ask Abia people, are we going to stay like this?” The capacity-filled hall chorused with a resounding no.
A statement by the director media and publicity of Alex Otti campaign organization, Kazie Uko, quoted the APGA governorship candidate as saying that Abia State was blessed with many smart and intelligent people who are also good and hardworking, but unfortunately, “all of us collectively allowed evil to thrive in the state, by what we did or what we didn’t do”.
Otti further explained: “Go back to 1999, that was when we got it wrong and once the fundamentals are wrong everything else would not be right. So, we allowed people who had no vision to take over the governorship and governance of our state and when they finished, they installed their godsons”.
He admonished the youth on the danger of standing aloof or sitting on the fence and not getting involved in politics. Quoting the French West Indian philosopher, Frantz Fanon, Otti lectured his young audience who sat with rapt attention and eyes focused on him, to get down from the fence, shirk the onlooker attitude and become active participants in politics.
“I’m sensitizing you this afternoon to get interested in politics. Don’t be an apolitical animal because man is a political animal. By the time you say you’re apolitical, you have sided with the wrong group. It’s just like when somebody says he has decided not to vote, you inadvertently will be voting for the wrong person”, he elaborated.
Apart from the intellectually rewarding political talk, the ‘Valentine with Alex and Priscilla’ was highly entertaining and exhilarating. It was laced with songs by a choral group, music, comedy, sumptuous food and drinks. It provided opportunity for the youth to meet and interact with the prospective governor in relaxed and cozy atmosphere, devoid of any kind of tension.
