The level of infrastructural decay that has plagued Abia state, particularly in the last eight years, is simply befuddling. It has left in its trail a near sense of hopelessness in a state that is ordinarily promising and endowed with tremendous potentials.
The state of disillusionment in the state requires a visionary leader whose pedigree transcends petty politicking, one who would bring a rich heritage of developmental goal and commensurate leadership accumen to actualize it. One that would be a departure from the failure the state has witnessed these recent past years.
The failure of leadership in the state, evidently orchestrated by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a beckon to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to put the right step forward to rescue the state and its disillusioned people from the plague of maladministration.
The right choice, no doubt, is Dr Alex Otti, who’s on a rescue mission to save Abia from further fall into the mire of infrastructural decay and leadership induced poverty.
After picking the APC nomination and interest forms in Abuja, Otti reiterated his driving force; that Abia needs a person with the requisite skills, training and competence to save it from a complete collapse.
Otti, a former Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Diamond Bank said that the ruling PDP in Abia had performed abysmally low. This has opened a window of opportunity for the opposition APC to present a prepared candidate that would be ready to face the great challenge of rescuing the state from its poverty of leadership.
According to him, the state has been plagued by huge debt overhang besides the heavy indebtedness to civil servants, and pensioners by the state government.
Explaining why he has consistently presented himself in the last two electioneering seasons, Otti stated: “If you have been following my politics, you will understand that this is not the first time that I am coming out to run. I ran in 2015 under the platform of APGA [All Progressive Grand Alliance]; in 2019, I tried again and it didn’t go well.
“If you know what is happening in Abia, the level of infrastructural decay, the level of debts and the amount of money being owed contractors and civil servants and pensioners, then you will realise that Abia needs to be rescued and that is why I am here.
“I am happy that a lot of people are showing interest. I found that out that three more people have picked their forms and I believe that it’s going to be an interesting race at the end of the day, I know that the people of Abia will make the right choice.
“PDP knows that they are on their way out, they know in their heart when they look at what they have done to the state in the last 24 years.
“I am sure, they would have given themselves a quit notice; in fact, this last administration had signed off on that quit notice because they actually did not do anything.
“I do not have any fears but of course, when you go into a race, it is either you win or you lose; when you have great chances of winning, then you should not entertain fears, I am sure I will get it,” he said.
Otti noted that the people of the state are yearning for a governor with the leadership capacity that would address infrastructure decay in the state.
He recommended that the APC should adopt either a direct or Indirect mode of primary elections for choosing candidates. Otti also called for unity in Abia APC to enable the party to win the 2023 governorship election.
Otti urged the party faithful in the state to stand against interest groups trying to balkanise the party and stand together to better the chances of the party.
