Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia
Abia State Governor
Alex Otti, has dedicated his victory at the court of appeal yesterday to Abia people, describing the judgment as sound and a bold affirmation of the unanimous decision of Abia people at the polls and the verdict of the Election Tribunal in Umuahia on October 6, 2023.
Reacting to the judgment which dismissed the appeals brought by the candidates of the PDP and APC, Chief Okey Ahaiwe and Chief Ikechi Emenike respectively, Otti in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma applauded the A’COURT justices for being deeply thoughtful and fearless in upholding the facts of law in the face of desperate and undemocratic onslaughts geared towards ensuring the usurpation of a mandate that’s both popular and divine, assuring Abians that the determination of his government to serve them has received a boost by this verdict.
The statement read, ” The thoughtfulness, fearlessness and unblemished erudition of the learned justices as captured in the judgment spoke eloquently of their determination to deepen our democracy which holds the majority wishes of the people as its foundation.
“Even though we never entertained any atom of fear going by the landslide victory we recorded at the polls coupled with the sound submissions made by our erudite team of lawyers to defend our victory, I was, however, moved by the unprecedented show of love, support and solidarity of our people which is a manifestation of what transpired at the polls as well as their appreciation of the modest achievements we have recorded so far in different spheres of our economy, my resolve to serve them with greater zeal, passion and commitment has been given a boost.
The Abia Chief Executive once again called on his opponents to discontinue the ungodly and futile attempt to steal the mandate of the people and accept the judgement with humility, sobriety and equanimity and join hands with him to work for the development of the state, knowing very well that he won the election clearly and convincingly, assuring that he would work for the overall wellbeing of all Abians, irrespective of party differences.