Politics
Abia masses reiterate confidence in Otti, votes gov’s ZLP in LGA polls
Abia people, have, once more, reiterated their unalloyed confidence and support in the Governor Alex Otti’s administration in the state. This was clearly manifested in the Saturday, November 2, 2024, Local Government Area elections, organized to elect the 17 executive chairmen and their councilors.
Facing an unexpected rebellion and sabotage from his national Labour Party, LP, shortly before the LGA elections, Otti, at the eleventh hour, urged his followers and supporters to shift their loyalty to the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP. The masses strictly adhered to that directive and immediately identified with the ZLP.
The is that Zenith Labour Party subsequently won 15 out of the 17 councils in the Abia State local government elections, while the Young Peoples Party (YPP) was declared winner in the remaining two LGAs of Ugwunagbo and Osisioma in the Abia South Senatorial District located in the heart of Ngwa nation.
The results were made public by the chairman of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. George Chima, at the commission’s headquarters in Umuahia.
He said; “We have fulfilled the duty we were inaugurated on September 5, 2024, to carry out. It wasn’t an easy task, but we went above and beyond to raise awareness about the election across the state”.
On the significance of the election, the chairman said, “In recent times, this commission has not conducted an election with over 12 political parties participating. This, in itself, is a milestone for the commission”.
He made it known that the election took place in all the 17 LGAs of the state, observing with satisfaction that the conduct was free, fair, and credible.
According to him, “We have been able to complete a task that could typically take six to twelve months within two months.”
He commended both the winners and the losers, insisting on the need to maintain peace in Abia.
“In any election, there are winners and losers, but the most important thing is that Abia remains peaceful. I urge everyone to uphold this peace, ”he enthused.
The chairman thanked the security agencies for their support and commended political parties for “playing by the rules.”
Equally, the governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, commended the conduct of the Local Government elections in the state describing it as peaceful, orderly, and transparent.
Otti who cast his votes about 12.19 pm at Ahiafor Umuru-Umuehim Nvosi Polling Unit 017 in Isiala Ngwa South LGA expressed satisfaction over the voter turnout.
The governor also expressed the importance of voting even as he charged the masses to always vast their votes for the right leaders.
“The point remains that political parties are platforms for running elections and like you would notice, a lot of political parties have problems but irrespective of that, we have advocated that people should vote for candidates that are credible and competent to deliver.
“If you want to continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy, if you want to continue to enjoy performance then, you need to vote people like that.
“I believe that this election would synchronize with that call I’ve been making because people have also been talking about it, that they are going to vote for people who have capacity. And it’s a local government election. We all know our people,” Otti said.
Expressing their happiness on the conducting of the election and why they voted for the ZLP, a cross-section of the masses noted that it was in its bid to support Otti on his marvelous job in the state.
“Governor Otti has been quite exceptional and brilliant in the discharge of his. I cannot tell you that he is 100% fantastic. However, there are signs that a foundation is laid for a solid future. At least, he taking care of the primary aspects of governance. This has made the people to have confidence in him. Therefore, for whatever reason he urged us to vote for ZLP, the masses had no choice than to obey him”, Okey Kalu, said in Umuahia.
While Kalu obeyed and voted for ZLP without understanding the dynamics at play before the LGA polls, Ikechukwu Anyasike, a legal practitioner and human rights activist, submitted that the voters went the way of the ZLP because they discovered the plot to derail Otti on the good job he was doing.
He said, “The fact on the ground is, some people who think Nigeria belongs to them are working dangerously to bring His Excellency, Peter Obi, down. Obi and Otti belong to the same political camp. They are political soulmates and their goal and desire is to bring socioeconomic as well as political transformation in the polity.
“To that effect, an assault on Obi is also an attack on Otti. We have it on good authority that the recent rumbling at the national LP was targeted against Obi. And if Obi is targeted, Otti is also on the blacklist. With this in mind, Otti, who is a boardroom guru, knew that he would be in a mess if he went ahead with the Labour Party, decided to make a fresh choice. He chose the ZLP for the conduct of the LGA polls. Since the people love and appreciate his excellent jobs, so far, the voters easily and effectively toed his ZLP, and that was it”.
Yet, there were those who solely voted for the ZLP on the account that they had no political platform besides Otti. Hence, whatever he decides and wherever he goes, that is their political party.
According to Nneoma Igwe, a community woman leader in Aba South LGA, Otti is a state political institution, so he commands an immense following. She said, “Since 2015, when Otti expressed interest in running for the governorship position, I have always respected him. This is so because, for him to have succeeded in the ever tricky banking environment, with all the banana peels, meant he is disciplined, visionary and hard-working”.
She added, ” More so, Abia of all walks of life have come to acknowledge Otti as an honest administrator who means well and is ever poised to move the state to greater heights. I see Otti as my political party. That is, anywhere he goes, that is where I am. And I am not alone on this stance. Thus, not too long before the LGA polls, we were directed to look towards the ZLP, I never hesitated to start campaigning for the party. For us in Abia, it is not about political party, it is all about Otti because he is a leader par excellence”.
Meanwhile, some also insist that what was conducted in Abia last Saturday as LGA polls were not too far from the ills that were seen in the other states where council elections were held, calling it an assault on democracy.
