Otti: Governance Must Be Devoid of Politics to Serve People Better

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said that governance would be most impactful on the people’s wellbeing if it is not mixed up with politics.

 He stated this at the weekend during a state banquet his government organised to celebrate the 76th birthday anniversary of the former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, who is the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Otti said that it has always been difficult for Nigerian politicians to differentiate between governance and politicking, hence they still play politics even after election has been lost or won, and government inaugurated.

According to him, immediately the results of an election is declared and government inaugurated, politics should cease as governance takes over.

 He stated that governance should be devoid of partisanship and political affiliation, adding that whoever was elected into government is put there to serve everybody. “If I build roads, retrofit our hospitals and remodel our schools, will members of PDP,  APC, LP, APGA, ADC, and other parties not use it?” he asked, adding that he was elected to serve everybody irrespective of their political leanings.

 To demonstrate what he preaches, Otti, who  is a Labour Party (LP) governor, put aside his political affiliation and participated in the grand civic reception organised by the chapter of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) to honour the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara.

The governor also preached against partisanship in leadership selection process, saying that the best should always be elected irrespective of the political party being represented.

 He said that if there is genuine interest to serve the people and work for their welfare “then we should always choose the best irrespective of party affiliation.”

 Otti revealed that he was a beneficiary of non-partisan votes in 2023 governorship election as the people that voted for him cut across party lines.

 He said that the membership strength of Labour Party in Abia State was far less than the number of votes he garnered to win the poll hence it couldn’t be said that he was elected by only LP members.

Otti noted that members of rival parties, including PDP, APC and APGA had voted for him instead of the candidates of their respective parties because they saw him as the best among the contestants.

 He explained that it was based on his non-discrimination in governance that his government celebrates every Abian that made the state not considering the person’s party affiliation.

The governor was commended by party chieftains from rival political parties for his inclusive governance style.

Also, former Minister of Environment, Dame Laurentia Mallam, who is a member of PDP BoT, called on other governors to emulate the Abia State governor and remove partisan bias in governance.

Mallam, who is from Kaduna State, said that she was impressed by Otti’s leadership style, which according to her contrasted from the situation in her state.

She recounted that she was victimised by the ruling party in her state for belonging to a different party and even when she was kidnapped the state government did not express sympathy even with her political stature.

Another PDP chieftain and former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, also expressed gratitude with the governor for non-partisan disposition to rival party members.

Nwodo, who was part of the PDP entourage of governors and stakeholders that visited Otti at his Nvosi country home, said that the hospitality was great.

“Governor Otti made us feel at home. It was hard to know that we were not in a PDP Government House,” he enthused.

The former Enugu State governor commended Otti for his developmental strides in Abia State, saying: “What you are doing is awesome; the eyes of Ndigno are on you.”

In his remarks, the chairman of the PDP central organising committee for the grand reception of Wabara, Hon Ude Oko Chukwu, praised Otti for his expression of love to the PDP BoT chairman not minding political differences.

Chukwu, who is the immediate-past Deputy Governor of Abia, lauded Otti for hosting the four PDP governors that came to Abia State for Wabara’s reception, where he also showed up and capped everything by throwing a big banquet for the former Senate president.