The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has said his party would provide a virile opposition to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state to ensure that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu delivers on the social contract with Abia people.
He also said he won’t congratulate Ikpeazu.
Otti said the state government must understand that democracy thrives on virile opposition and Abia must have such opposition.
“The days where everyone would queue behind one person and sing his praises are over in the state,” he stated.
Otti, who spoke on Thursday in Aba, the commercial hub of the state, at a thanksgiving rally organised by the state chapter of APGA, noted that having accepted the Supreme Court judgment without minding its flaws, he still wanted the governor to succeed for the collective interest of Abia people.
He said, “To Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, let me state unequivocally that we have nothing against him as a person but the system that imposed him against all democratic norms and practices, which attached more value to his ambition than to the lives of innocent Abians.
“But for the governor to succeed, he must not only repent but also purge himself of those primitive and primordial practices that have continued to present the state as theatre of absurdities.
“He must stop the payment of monthly stipends to some lazy and jobless persons masquerading as godfathers, leaders and stakeholders. We believe that such act is evil and should not continue in the state.”
According to Otti, agents of the PDP and Abia State Government who desperately want to hear him congratulate Ikpeazu in the spirit of sportsmanship are ignorant of the meaning of sportsmanship.
He said, “While we have accepted the unpopular judgment that injures the sensibilities of Abians, we cannot congratulate you as that would amount to endorsement of criminality. So, rather than arrogantly demanding for unjust and undeserved congratulatory message from me and my party, the PDP should rather express remorse, seek repentance, and be humble enough to seek for forgiveness from God and Abians.”
Otti also cautioned his supporters who might be disappointed with the turn of events to hold their peace.
PUNCH NG
