It’s Time to Sheathe Your Swords, Otti Tells Political Opponents

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia


With the affirmation of his mandate by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, the Abia Governor, Mr. Alex Otti is waving the olive branch at his political opponents asking them to sheathe their swords.

The three-man Tribunal had on Friday dismissed the petitions filed against Otti by the two major Abia opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for lacking in merit.

Reacting to the outcome of the legal battle, Otti declared that there was no need to continue the political war, urging his opponents in rival parties to join forces with him in the task of rebuilding Abia.

“My advice to my opponents is that this is a good time to sheathe their swords and join hands with me to develop our state, Abia,” he said, adding that “any way you slice and dice it, it costs a lot of money to engage in litigation”.

He said that instead of Abia politicians expending huge amounts of money on litigations they should deploy such resources for the development of the state, starting with their own localities.

“I will not ask them to bring the money to me, I would advise that each of them have villages that are dilapidated; without roads, without water, and I believe that their communities will appreciate it if they would channel those resources to building roads in their villages and communities,” he said.

Otti reasoned that if his opponents could channel the resources spent in waging legal battle on provision of social amenities, Abia would not only have dividends of development but also peace and stability.

He said that his victory in the March 18, 2023 Governorship poll should not have been challenged in the first place given that his mandate was freely given by the people.

Otti dedicated his triumph at the Tribunal to Abians, especially his teeming supporters in the state, saying that he was glad that the wishes of the people have been solidified.

“If you follow the election and everything that happened thereafter, you would know that quite frankly this victory shouldn’t have been contested in the first place, but then, I also do not deny my opponents their rights to go to court,” the Abia Governor stated.

He also thanked God for the victory as well as jurists whose sound judgment “ensured that justice prevailed in the end”. According to him, the verdict “reflected what happened at the polls and what the majority of the people truly expected”.

“Nothing enriches the legal jurisprudence and strengthens democracy more than dispensing justice to those that deserve it,” he enthused.

The governor reiterated his commitment to continue to serve Abians diligently, assuring that he would work for the overall wellbeing of all Abians, irrespective of political party affiliations.

Reflecting on the legal fireworks that raged at the Tribunal over his mandate, Otti said that he was never shaken knowing that his mandate was from the people.

He said: “I was, however, moved by the unprecedented show of love, support and solidarity from our people which is a manifestation of  their appreciation of the modest achievements we have recorded so far, hence my resolve to serve them with greater zeal and passion.”