By Ori Martins
There is a trending popular demand for the emergence of Dr Alex Otti as the next governor of Abia State. That is the electorate are poised to vote Otti, the Labour Party candidate for the 2023 Abia State governorship election.
A survey carried out by Business Hallmark and confirmed by various opinion polls conducted by numerous independent election monitors, indicate that Abia people and the residents of the area are craving for the election of Otti in 2023.
“I am very certain that we , the people of Abia State, are rooting for the LP governorship candidate, Otti, to be elected our governor in 2023. Otti seems to be the best governorship candidate among the rest. He is disciplined. Well trained and he had a vision to make our dear state great, Ufo Udoma, an Umuahia cab operator explained.
Perhaps, Otti’s training as a banker and financial expert prepared him for governance and also distinguished him as a visionary leader. This is the view of Kalu Ibe Kalu, a secondary school teacher in Aba.
According to him, “I think there is something fundamentally positive that is inherit in established bankers. I knew Clement Isong, the late former governor of Cross River State. He was Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor before his election as governor. He did well in Cross River.
“Now, in Anambra State, my contact reveals that Prof Charles Soludo has been doing well, especially in the area of security and infrastructure. The only minus Soludo has had so far is his hard stand on Peter Obi and his presidential ambition. As you know, Soludo, a Professor of Economics, worked in CBN as governor.
“My submission is that Otti, having established and proved himself as a Distinguished banker at the topmost level, can magically make things happen in Abia, positively. Let us vote for him in the 2023 governorship election”.
The masses argue that it was Otti who worked assiduously, taking the now defunct Diamond Bank now Access Bank, to the apogee of banking, it will be worth while to elect him in 2023 for him to replicate the Diamond Bank feat in Abia.
“If you meet and discuss with Otti about what he plans to do in Abia State when he is elected governor, you will be convinced that he is the man to rescue Abia from its present state of quagmire.
“Otti is focussed, diligent and prudent. He is a visionary intellectual who sees politics as a means to make the state better and not just to enrich himself. As far we are concerned, he will triumph”.
Even, Otti himself has promised he would turn Aba into the China of Nigeria. He assured that there would be youth, women and general empowerment to make life better.
Otti has also noted that with as Abia State governor, insecurity will be of the past even as he would make use of his national and local contacts to attract industries and factories as a way of encouraging and boosting production which is a key factor towards growth and development.
More than anything else, Otti’s humane approach to issues, professional inclination in carrying out his assignments as well as his simplicity as a human being are some of the qualities Abia people are admiring about him.
In the words of Chinyere Obi, “When you see Otti, you are seeing humility personified. He is a man who carries out his duty the way it is laid down in the books. He promotes due process and encourages rule of law. Moreover, he is simple, honest and dedicated. This is the type of man we need to turn things around in Abia State”.
