Kazie Uko
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, faced with an imminent defeat in the forthcoming Saturday, March 11, 2023 governorship election, has gone into panic.
The party has now resorted to throwing muds and its target is the highly rated and most favoured candidate to win the governorship election in Abia, Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP).
With an array of paid social media agents, PDP, which has superintended over 24 years of misrule and looting of the commonwealth of Abia people, has embarked on a campaign of deliberate falsehood and disinformation against Otti, who has become a rallying point for the battle to salvage the soul of Abia.
It would be recalled that Otti, a renowned economist and top banker, led the Labour Party to a historic and remarkable triumph over PDP in Abia in the Presidential and National Assembly elections, held last Saturday, February 25.
Out of eight Federal House Constituency seats in Abia, LP upturned the table against PDP, winning six and leaving APC and APGA one seat apiece. In the senatorial election, LP already has a seat in its kitty while contesting the results of two other remaining zones, Abia North and Abia South. LP candidate, Darlington Nwokocha is the winner of the Abia Central senatorial election.
In a most atracious bid to demarket the candidacy of Dr. Otti, the PDP has recently taken to the social media to besmirch the integrity of the LP candidate, widely believed to be the only one, of all the18 contestants for the governorship office in Abia, with the requisite capacity, character and competence to lead Abia.
They accuse him, among other things, of saying that he would sack most of the civil servants and traditional rulers in the state as a way of saving money to develop the state.
However, Otti, at a meeting on Tuesday with some political stakeholders and new entrants into the LP family, at his residence in Nvosi, Isialangwa South LGA, wondered how any sane mind could attribute such statement to him, when his campaign is focused on creation of wealth and jobs for Abia people.
“Somebody said to me that they told the civil servants that if I’m voted into office, that I would sack most of the workers. How does that make sense, when I have been the one fighting for the welfare of the civil servants and pensioners, who are being owed by this same PDP government, for upwards of 26 months salary arrears and over 56 months of unpaid pensions to retirees?” he queried.
He added: “My campaign is anchored on creating wealth and jobs. I have entered into covenant with the residents of Abia in my manifesto, where I have enumerated plans to industrialise the state, build infrastructure, clean up the environment, secure lives and property of the citizenry, restore the dignity of the Abia person and generally turn the economy of the state around for good.
“I know that Abia people are not stupid to believe the kind of reprehensible gibberish that PDP and its sinking crew members are dishing out in the social media. It’s an insult to the sensibilities of our people who have been at the receiving end of PDP’s savagery of the state’s economy, for over two decades.
“Abia people are resolute in their choice of Labour Party candidates; from the presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi, to the governorship candidate, my humble self Alex Otti, down to our House of Assembly candidates, Abia people have resolved to vote LP and there’s absolutely nothing PDP can do, no matter the amount of blackmail, intimidation and falsehood peddled.”
Otti called on the people of Abia to come out enmass on Saturday, March 11, like they did on February 25, to vote for Labour Party with him as governor and the House of Assembly candidates.
“I enjoin you to make it Labour Party all the way. Let’s finish the good work we started last Saturday. Let’s bring down the remaining few Goliaths who have threatened the unity, love and prosperity of our state and its people. Let’s take back our state and begin the process of rebuilding it,” Otti stated.
– Kazie Uko
07/03/2023
