Abia will never return to bad governance Otti assures, as SDP candidate defects to Labour Party
Abia will never return to bad governance Otti assures, as SDP candidate defects to Labour Party
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia
Abia State Governor Alex Otti, has reassured Abia residents that the state will never return to bad governance, saying good governance, once experienced, can never be reversed.
Otti gave the assurance on Thursday at the Labour Party Secretariat in Umuahia while formally welcoming DR Ngozika- Gladys Johnson-Chukwuneye
and her supporters into the Labour Party.
Chukwudenye, who contested the 2023 governorship election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has registered at her Ward in Isuikwuato and completed her documentation at the state secretariat.
Otti commended her courage for contesting in 2023, noting that it is rare for women in this part of the world to vie for elective positions.
“She elucidated not too long ago that she was a candidate of the SDP in 2023. A lot of us saluted her courage. She ran that race very well to the end, but only one person will emerge,” Otti said.
He thanked her for recognizing the modest efforts of his administration to change the story of the state and restore the dignity of its people.
Addressing critics, the governor said his administration enjoys overwhelming public support.
“There are one or two people in the infinite minority we can ignore. When 95% of the population sees what is happening, you will still see those who will not agree. You can cook a very good soup, and somebody who has lost his sense of taste will not taste anything,” he said.
He explained that rebuilding Abia after 24 years of mismanagement takes planning, time and resources.
“It is just 39 months. Everything cannot be done in one day, particularly in a place that has been badly managed in the last 24 years.
“We started from the most important areas to restore Aba and Umuahia and I can tell you without fear of contradiction that we have literally restored those cities. Now we are moving into the hinterlands,” he stated.
Otti said his government will not be distracted by political attacks.
“Some people will be hauling stones and expect you to respond. Winston Churchill said you will never get to your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks. Some dogs barking, we just ignore them,” he said.
On succession Otti declared he has no interest in becoming a godfather and will not impose anyone.
“The most important thing you can give a people is good governance. Once people taste good governance, it will be very difficult to take them back. If you are afraid we will go back to Egypt, it will never happen,” he assured.
“What I can assure you is that by the time I am done, the person that will succeed me will be better than me. We will all sit down and look for the best person. I don’t want to be a godfather, and I don’t tolerate godfathers. I am not afraid to say no.”
He reiterated his decision to retire from active politics after his tenure, stressing the need for younger people to take over.
“I keep saying I am not interested in any other thing. I don’t even want to go to the Senate. Once I finish this one, I will retire. We should stop this sit-tight. There are smarter, better trained, better equipped younger people our children. We need to give them an opportunity,” he said.
He referenced the recent graduation of 1,080 young Abians aged 16 to 25 from the Abia Leadership Academy as part of efforts to prepare for the next generation of leaders.
Governor Otti thanked Chukwudenye for coming with pupils from the School of the Blind during her defection.
“For you to come back and think about the less privileged, people will keep thinking about you. Because you have done this, God will continue to bless you,” he said,
He thanked the leadership of the Labour Party and supporters of the administration, assuring them that the government remains focused.
Earlier in her speech Chukwudenye
said her decision to join the Labour Party was to support Otti after closely following developments in the state and observing what she described as “changes under the present administration”.
She said, “The payment of salary arrears, regular payment of workers’ salaries, attention to pensioners and the rehabilitation of roads in Umuahia and Aba are some of the developments that influenced my decision to join the governor.”