Abia 2023: Alex Otti remains candidate of choice – Survey

By Ori Martins

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP,  in Abia State for the March 11, 2023 election, Dr. Alex Otti, still leads in opinion polls as the most preferred among the top standard bearers. 

Recently, Business Hallmark carried out an unbiased, independent and issue- based opinion poll in major cities and towns in Abia State to  determine which among the leading governorship contenders is the people’s choice. It was not difficult discovering that Otti was on the lips of virtually all the respondents spoken to.

The first factor in favour of Otti is that the masses see him the same way they view the presidential candidate of LP, Peter Obi.

“Frankly, Obi and Otti have the same characterization. They complement each other. Both men have integrity. They are disciplined, hard working, dedicated and enterprising. They have vision and their respective missions are to better the societies – Obi wants to rescue Nigeria, Otti’s dream is to rebuild Abia.

“And they have capacities. Interestingly, they belong to the LP.  Thus, I earnestly pray that Obi wins the presidency on February 25, while Otti emerges the Abia State governor elect on March 11, 2023. It will be a super combination, a perfect chemistry”, Nze John Ocha, a shop owner at the boisterous Ishigate, Umuahia, submitted.

Otti’s popularity cuts across all strata of society and human endeavour even as women, youths, traders, artisans as well as the professionals root for him.

A petty trader at the popular Ariara International Market, Madam Ngozi Okonta insisted that the LP governorship candidate had all it would take to win the election next month.

According to her, ” If not for ill luck, Otti would have been the one finishing his second tenure on May 29, 2023. We all knew what happened. What I am saying is, Otti has political weight and capacity. He knows what to do, how to do it and when to go about it. He is very organized.

“Since 2015 when he joined the political struggle for the battle of Abia State Government House, Otti has been quite outstanding and focused. You will see it that he does things differently and explains in details what he is coming to do if elected the next governor of God’s Own State. I think he is the best man for the job”.

One feature that was repeated by most of the people, who spoke to Business Hallmark is Otti’s prudence as well as knack for ethics and professionalism.

“A major reason I am supporting Otti is his well established personality as a prudent man, who believes in professionalism and standards. In other words, he promotes ethics and encourages jobs orderliness and codes.

“Again, he abides by rules as stimulated by the constitution of whatever trade or business he is involved in. I am not surprised at this because Otti was a banker and you know banks and bankers follow set rules and regulations.

“He had a hand in the making of all the banks where he worked, particularly, what used to be called Diamond Bank Plc, where he signed off as the chief executive officer. Abia State really needs a man like Otti at this point in time – a prudent manager and one who believes in doing things according to set out laws. When this is done, you obviously see that Abai will fly”, a retired banker, Kanu Ogbonna Kalu, from Ohafia, stated.

Many also confirmed that their confidence in Otti was borne out of the fact that he was a man who would ensure rule of law, equity, justice, fairness and at the same time abide by what the law says.

They pointed out to the democratic ill treatment meted to him in 2015 using a demographic deceit – figures that were outrageously manipulated – to deny him the 2015 governorship victory.

Yet, as the people pointed out,  Otti never encouraged crisis or violence of any kind, he headed for the constitutionally stipulated court. That, as the masses noted, was a mark of maturity, and a trait of a true democrat.

Even now, Otti is said to be the only candidate going down to the grassroots, campaigning and talking to the masses, marketing his programme and telling them what he intends doing when elected.

“In fact, I have discovered that Otti is the only one among the governorship candidates going down to the grassroots campaigning. As a matter of fact, he is doing house – to – house campaigns. He approaches the zones and communities based on thier respective needs.

“The others are doing shows because they are relying on their godfathers and so-called structures. Therefore, if there is any candidate very close to the people and who understands the real problem of the masses and he is poised to tackle them squarely, I think, Otti is the man and so he deserves our votes,  a retired civil servant, veteran Patrick Onwuka from Ukwa East, noted.

It was also discovered that the people of Abia are mostly going for Otti in view of the fact that he is not in the line up of the  oligarch, who have been ruling Abia State since 1999. To this effect, they see in him, a personality, who will not be compromised because he has never soiled his hands even as he has no skeleton in his cupboard. In other words, the Abia godfathers, who the masses point at as being the root of the state’s backward, will not push him around.

“Otti is our next governor by the grace of God through our collective votes”, Onwuka concluded.