Abians will never again surrender their mandate to any cabal – Wabara

A mammoth crowd drawn from the nine local government areas that make up Ukwa La Ngwa, otherwise known as the Ngwa nation, stormed the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, last weekend to celebrate Governor Alex Otti.

The grand civic reception attracted serving and former state and national lawmakers from Abia, religious and traditional leaders, Abians across party lines, business leaders, former federal ministers, local government chairmen, government officials, cultural troupes and members of the Aba business community, all dressed in colourful attires that added glamour to the event.

The highlight of the reception was a vote of confidence and endorsement of Governor Otti for a second term by the people of Ukwa La Ngwa. The steering committee of the civic reception also announced a donation of N100 million towards the purchase of the governor’s nomination form for the 2027 election.

The endorsement was followed by prayers and royal blessings from traditional rulers across Ukwa La Ngwa, who pledged their full support for the governor and his administration.

Overwhelmed by the turnout, Otti expressed appreciation to the people for the reception and endorsement.

“The mammoth crowd here today is intimidating. I want to sincerely thank all of you for the endorsement, the support and the encouragement,” he said.

He assured the people that their interests would always come first, stressing that his administration was not driven by partisan considerations.

“You can see that this is not about party or partisan celebration. This is about the people. Some of those making noise are doing so out of self-interest, but this government belongs to you,” Otti stated.

The governor urged residents of Aba who were yet to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards to do so ahead of future elections. He also encouraged residents to take responsibility for keeping their environment clean and maintaining security in their neighbourhoods.

“Be the chief cleaning officers of your environment. We want Aba to be the cleanest city in Nigeria. Also, be the chief security officers of your neighbourhoods. Don’t allow miscreants to destroy what we have built,” he said.

Otti used the occasion to announce that Ovom Road would be commissioned on February 25, alongside the flag-off of the reconstruction of the Enyimba Hotel, which he said would be handled by Radisson Blu.

“Our style is not to flag off projects and abandon them. We will give the contractors a short delivery timeline. We want the five-star hotel to be operational by next year,” he added.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Adolphus Wabara, commended the governor’s achievements, noting that the gathering was a reflection of the people’s collective verdict.

“This is not a political rally; it is the people’s affirmation that good governance is possible,” Wabara said.

He declared that Abians would resist any attempt to undermine their democratic choice in future elections.

“Let no one be deceived: Abians will never again surrender their mandate to any cabal. Any attempt to manipulate or subvert the will of the people in 2027 will be firmly resisted. The era of imposing leaders on Abians is gone,” Wabara stated.

Also speaking, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, said Governor Otti had changed the governance narrative in Abia and deserved broad support.

The Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the civic reception, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, described the event as an expression of love and acceptance of the governor’s leadership. He reiterated that Ukwa La Ngwa people had raised N100 million for Otti’s nomination form and were ready to contribute more if necessary.

Earlier, the leader and spokesperson of Ukwa La Ngwa, Chief Theo Nkire, described Otti as a transformational leader who had positively impacted all sectors of life in the state, especially in Aba.

In a vote of thanks, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, thanked the governor for what he described as efforts to reposition Abia after years of mismanagement and for creating an enabling environment for investment.

Traditional rulers from Ukwa La Ngwa presented gifts to the governor and pledged their continued support for his administration.