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Supreme Court verdict: Abia masses still in celebration mood

… Vouch for Otti’s vision
By Ori Martins
Three days after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement which affirmed the election of Dr Alex Otti of the Labour Party, LP, against the appeals by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, the masses of Abia State are still in celebration mood, commending the apex court’s judgement as a victory for democracy.
In all the rural roads and urban cities of Abia State people are still gathering in their numbers gleefully appraising last Friday’s Supreme Court’s confirmation of Otti’s victory on March 18, 2023 Abia State governorship election.
In Umuahia the state capital, commercial bus operators, market women and other shopkeepers are seen in clusters and the subject of their discuss is Governor Otti and his Supreme Court judgement. “We were afraid that what happened in Imo State in 2020 could repeat in Abia State in 2024. Of course, LP won the election but we nursed the fear that the unexpected might happen. This is why we are still celebrating”. Orjinta Nwigwe, a bus driver who operates on the Umuahia – Ubakala axis, submitted.
There is no centre that the victory celebration is more colourful and more glamorous than the commercial centre of Aba. Right in the heart of the ever boisterous Ariara International Market, a conglomerate of trade associations still gather virtually in every nook and crannies singing, dancing and winning for a prayer well answered.
Odinachi Onyekachi is a member of Ariara International Market Shop Owners Association, Aba. He said, “You may not understand why we are still celebrating Otti’s Supreme Court victory of last Friday. You see, after many years of abandonment, of promises and failures by successive governments in the state since 1991, we at Ariara, for the first time, are seeing a governor who is doing exactly what he promised during his campaigns.
“Many roads that have been embarrassingly impassible for more than two decades are today receiving urgent attention. We entertained fears that Otti might be sacked by the Supreme Court as it is usually the case in some cases. You are very much aware that LP is an opposition side and currently, the Nigerian judiciary has never really got its footing as it is allegedly still tied to the apron strings of the executive. However, Otti’s was confirmed, meaning he will continue his wonderful work”.
Even in remote areas like Ohuhu in Umuahia, a public affairs commentator and sports historian, Comrade Ejikeme Ikwunze also known as Mr Football, highlighted some of the reasons the people have continued in their jubilation since last Friday.
According to him, “Let me talk from the angle of sports. Governor Alex Otti’s appointment of Ambassador Kanu Nwankwo as the chairman of Enyimba of Aba was well received by the ever enthusiastic fans of the state. Kanu is a global football icon. Since his emergence, Kanu has attracted some impressive sponsorship deals to the club.
“Although the team was knocked out of the two continental competitions, Enyimba are currently doing well in the Nigerian football scene. Also, Enyimba are now well structured and organized and all the glory goes to Otti who brought in Kanu”.
There is equally the governance aspect of it. That is, according to Business Hallmark’s survey, majority of Abia masses are of the view that Otti’s insistence of due process, rule of law and even his avowed recourse to justice, fairness and equity have endeared him to the people, hence the wild celebration and jubilation since the apex court ruled in his favour.
More than all other sectors, the civil servants and the pensioners who have been receiving their salaries and pensions regularly, led the celebration grooves. “We have not had it so good. Before the arrival of Otti, Abia civil service was divided into two – the core and the peripheral workers. You can imagine that. The core civil servants received all the attentions while those of us at the local government levels were disregarded and given the name peripheral workers. Today, there is nothing like that. This is why we are applauding the judgement”, an anonymous worker stated.
Following Otti’s Supreme Court victory, Abia Stakeholders have, once again, reiterated his capacity and readiness to make Abia one of the best states in the country in terms of growth and development.
“The point is, looking at what Otti has been doing so far, it will not be out of place to conclude that he will reposition, rebrand and revive Abia for better. I am saying this because he has brought some of the construction giants to the state and work done so far is encouraging. In all the things he has been doing since he became the governor, he has always involved the professionals and the best hands just as he has made transparency, accountability and rule of law his watch words “, Ike Maduaako narrated.