Politics

Alex Otti’s Long walk To Abia Govt House

Published

3 years ago

March 23, 2023

At last, Alex Otti of the Labour Party on Wednesday achieved his long-term ambition of becoming the Abia State Governor.

Undaunted by his past failures, the former Managing Director of Diamond Bank now politician polled a total of 175,466 votes to floor his closest rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Okey Ahiwe, who scored 88,526 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Prof Nnenna Oti, declared Otti winner of the Abia State governorship election after she announced the controversial Obingwa Local Government Area results.

Otti’s Labour Party won in 10 LGAs, the PDP in six LGAs, and Young Peoples Party in one LGA. The Returning Officer, therefore, declared the LP candidate the winner at the INEC headquarters in Umuahia, the state capital.

Born on February 18, 1965, the former banker is not a novice in the political arena as he had earlier in 2015 gunned for Abia’s highest political office and declared the winner before the judiciary handed the baton to the outgoing Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP.

He had then contested under the All Progressives Grand Alliance. The Court of Appeal had in its judgement in December 2015 removed Ikpeazu and declared Otti the winner of the April 11 and 25 governorship poll before the Supreme Court upturned the verdict and restored Ikpeazu as governor.

Otti, who hails from the Isiala-Ngwa South Local Government Area, had his secondary school education at Ngwa High School, Aba and Secondary Technical School, Okpuala Ngwa in Abia State. After his secondary school education, he graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Economics in 1988 from the University of Port Harcourt. He also earned an MBA degree from the University of Lagos in 1994.

Road to Government House

On April 17, 2022, Otti, then a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, threw his hat into the ring for the state’s top job.

Otti, who made his intentions known on Easter Day, said his ambition would mark the end of the crucifixion of the state. During his declaration, he explained that his quest to change the political trajectory of the state informed his decision to abandon his flourishing banking career as a managing director to join politics in 2013.

“We have resolved to bring change to Abia State by pursuing clear economic policies that will bring prosperity to Abians,” Otti promised.

Surprisingly, on May 2022, the renowned banker withdrew from the APC governorship primary election in the state. He had based his withdrawal on claims that the election outcome had already been predetermined by vested interests.

He alleged that a memo from the National Legal Adviser of the party to the state chairman dated May 18, 2022, had imposed a strange sharing formular on the APC aspirants in Abia.

He said, “… it’s my firm belief that anyone who wants to govern Abia State and Abians must be someone who has been democratically chosen by the people, and not one imposed by undemocratic or external forces pursuing self-serving agenda that would undermine the welfare and wellbeing of Abians at the long run.

“In light of the above-stated facts, I hereby withdraw from the predetermined governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress slated to take place in the next few days.”

On May 28, 2022, barely 72 hours after withdrawing from the APC governorship primary, Otti formally joined the Labour Party. He joined LP with a factional chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Acho Obioma.

On June 8, 2022, Otti won the LP governorship ticket after he polled a total number of 454 votes to emerge unopposed during the party’s governorship primary.

He said, “You have started a movement which no cabal can stop. We are the party the majority of people who deserve good leadership in the state are looking for.

“The symbol of our party is human beings. I, therefore, urge you to join me as we work hard to win the 2023 governorship election and make life easier for our people,” Otti said in his acceptance speech.

On December 28, 2022, Otti in his Christmas and New Year message to the state vowed to retrieve his mandate which, he alleged, was stolen in 2015.

According to him, the votes of the people would enable him to change the narrative and return Abia to the path of peace, growth, and development.

“Between 2015 when the mandate you passionately and unanimously gave to us was brazenly snatched away by the oppressors and today, I have neither slowed down nor withdrawn from asking critical questions and taking practical measures geared towards ensuring that those who have seized our Commonwealth in Abia are not allowed to continually enjoy underserved affluence while insulting our sensibilities.

“On my side, as your son, brother, friend and servant-leader seeking to render selfless and people-oriented service to our state and her people, I am prepared more than ever to align with other like minds to ensure that those holding our state down do not have any single opportunity to steal your vote in 2023 more so, given the change in the electoral laws and process.

“Remember, no freedom has ever been achieved easily anywhere, hence the need for us to increase our resolve and redouble our efforts aimed at reclaiming and rebuilding our state for the good of all,” Otti said.

True to his words, Otti was declared the governor-elect on Wednesday after he polled the most votes to defeat his rivals from other political parties.

The expectation of a large number of the Abia population is that he will walk his talk and change the narrative in governance delivery in the state many say has not been fortunate in that regard, the potential for growth and development notwithstanding.
PUNCH

Politics

Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Published

5 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.

National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.

The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.

Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.

There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.

Politics

Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis

Published

8 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has weighed in on the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project that was approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.

The governor was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded live on television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.

Oseni had requested the minister to analyse the cost of the project, kilometre by kilometre.

The request didn’t sit well with Umahi, who declared himself “professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.

He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”

Oseni, who also refused to back down, responded, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”

However, justifying the journalist’s question to the minister, Makinde said, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.

“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”

The PUNCH reports that last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.

Umahi made the announcement during the official handover of the first phase of the project, made up of 47.47 kilometers of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Limited, and which is to be constructed in concrete pavement.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), Uchenna Orji.

According to him, the Minister who was in company with the Federal Ministry of Works’ Controller in charge of Lagos State, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling Federal Government’s road projects to deliver within a record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.

Politics

2027: Oyo Gov, Makinde Speaks On Successor

Published

23 hours ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the choice of who would succeed him in 2027 rests solely with the people of the state, not with political godfathers or entitlement claims.

Makinde said this on Thursday in Ibadan while flagging off the zonal stakeholders’ consultative forum and engagement meeting on the 2026 Budget.

According to the governor, the decision of who becomes the next governor of Oyo state rests on all eligible voters in the state.

“Oyo State has gone beyond the era of politics based on entitlement or propaganda.

“Rather, the people of the state are now more politically enlightened and they will only support leaders who present credible plans and demonstrate capacity for development,” he said.

Makinde, while reflecting on his own experience before coming into office in 2019, noted that leadership must be about accountability, not entitlement.

He recalled that many people doubted his capability when he first sought the governorship position, because he had not held any political office.

“In 2018, when I was consulting to become governor, there was no yardstick to measure me. I had never been a councillor or a local government chairman, but I asked the people to trust me and judge me by my actions,” he said.

The governor urged political leaders to focus on policies and projects that directly impact the lives of citizens rather than engaging in political theatrics.

He said his administration’s approach to challenges has been to present a clear roadmap for Oyo State’s development, “one that people can read, evaluate, and hold us accountable to.”

Makinde expressed optimism that the people of the state would continue to support leaders who prioritise progress, inclusivity, and the well-being of citizens over personal ambition.

Speaking at the 7th Stakeholders Consultative Forum, the governor said that his administration would continue to consult and engage with residents of the state on the making of the state’s annual budgets, with a view to knowing their aspirations and prioritising their needs.

He maintained that the stakeholders’ engagement was to enable his government to serve the residents of the state better through a bottom-up approach to development, noting that his administration began the tradition in 2019.

According to him, his government first separated the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning from the Ministry of Finance in order to ensure better management of the state’s resources and to avoid discrepancies.

He stated that the stakeholders’ engagement had resulted in better budget performances and economic development of the state.

Makinde reiterated that his government would continue to serve the interests of the people of the state by putting in place institutions that would ensure that the environment was safe and ready to attract investments.

He added that the state was growing rapidly and that this development had stopped rural-urban migration with the construction of Moniya-Iseyin Road, Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road, Oyo-Iseyin Road, among other infrastructural projects, which have opened rural communities.

Makinde is currently serving as governor for the second time.

The governor, whose term ends in 2027, had earlier this month advocated a single term of five or six years for elected political office holders across all levels of government in Nigeria, against the current double term of four years each.

He said a single term of five or six years is enough for any government to focus and serve the people and deliver on its mandate.

(NAN)