- By Onyebuchi Ememanka
The last two statements credited to the Alex Otti Campaign Organization show that these people do not even understand the seriousness of the business of governance. The statements are as senseless and childish as they can get.
In a letter addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, dated February 15, 2019 and signed by one Kazie Uko, Media Director of the Alex Otti Campaign alleged, rather ridiculously, that the PDP led Government in Abia State have stockpiled military hardware and uniforms to be used by thugs in the coming elections for the purpose of rigging.
According to him, they obtained this information from a source within the Abia State Government. The letter was also published in THE SUN NEWSPAPER.
This is what you get from a man who has lived all his life outside the state is hurriedly hired to handle a sensitive assignment that touches on the very existence of our people.
The statement exposes the high octane ignorance of both Kazie Uko and his Principal, Alex Otti.
Abia has substantial military presence across the state. Apart from the Naval Base at Owerrinta which has existed for many years, the Nigerian Army has three established bases in Abia State all under the command of a General of the Army and ably supported by a corps of sound military officers. In addition, the State is home to the Zonal Headquarters of the Nigerian Police in addition to the State Command which has several appendages like the Anti Terrorism Squad. Like every other state, Abia has a full fledged command of the Department of State Security (DSS) with their well established undercover operational procedure.
If Mr. Uko has entered any Government House in his entire life, he would appreciate that practically all security agencies operate within the place, patrolling twenty four hours of the day.
The Security architecture around here makes it impossible for any such scheme to be initiated, planned and executed without the Security operatives knowing about it.
The Governor and Deputy Governor are, as of right, given Security by the Police and the DSS. These officers and operatives are attached to them 24 hours of the day.
Security meetings are held at regular intervals where the Governor and the leadership of all security agencies in the state including military and paramilitary forces meet to review the security situation in the state and to take measures to preempt any negative incidences.
It is therefore extremely ridiculous that Uko and his Principal Otti will want the General Public to believe the fables and the cock and bull stories they are telling.
For several years, Alex Otti practically lived in the Abia State Government House, when he was chasing former Governor TA Orji all over the place, genuflecting before him endlessly in the hope that he will hand over the ticket of the PDP to him for the 2015 elections. If he was observant then, he would have noticed that the Government House is a highly secured premises and that it is impossible to plan that kind of scheme successfully without the security agencies being aware. Otti appears to have also forgotten that the Abia State Government does not control any of the security agencies, who are employees of the APC led federal government and report to them.
Otti and his goons should get serious, please.
In another statement, Alex Otti stated that Governor Ikpeazu lacks the capacity to lead. This is the most preposterous thing Otti has ever said. It is laughable and unreasonable.
How does Otti have better capacity than Ikpeazu? Is it by education or experience? How?
First, Ikpeazu is better educated than Otti. While Otti has a Masters, Ikpeazu has a Doctorate. Imagine a Masters Degree holder accusing a Doctorate holder of lacking capacity?
In terms of experience, Otti spent his entire life in banks. Outside the bank, Otti has done nothing else in his life. In his entire banking career, he had the chance of heading a bank only once. Today, and few years after he left, that bank is on life support and will be finally certified dead and buried in the next few months. Because he is used to banks only, that’s why he thinks the way he does. That’s why he picked his running mate from Ohafia, a few kilometers away from his own home at Arochukwu. It’s only a man who is straight jacketed in his thought processes that will pick a running mate from the same federal constituency, in a state that has 17 Local Government Areas, Three Senatorial Districts and 8 federal constituencies.
Otti has zero public service experience. Completely Zero! The only time he came close to knowing how the public service runs was when he was managing the Abia State FAAC Accounts from First Bank and then to Diamond Bank. Nothing more.
Ikpeazu started out as a University Don, teaching in several universities and becoming Head of the Department of Biochemistry at the Enugu State University before public service beckoned. He has served as Local Government Chairman, Chairman of the Governing Council of a tertiary institution, the Abia State College of Health and Management Sciences, General Manager of the Abia State Transport Manifest Scheme, Deputy General Manager of ASEPA before becoming Governor.
Let the public judge between Otti and Ikpeazu, who has better capacity.
But we understand them perfectly. They know that failure awaits them on March 9th and so they are seeking alibis to explain their impending failure. But we advise them to be a little bit more creative in their wild geese chase and their fishing expedition.
Onyebuchi Ememanka, Esq
Director
Media, Information and Communication
Abia State PDP Central Campaign Council.
