There was jubilation all across Abia State as residents trooped out to the streets to celebrate the announcement of the Labour Party’s Dr. Alex Otti as the state’s new governor-elect.
This was Dr. Otti’s third attempt at contesting the governorship seat in the south-eastern state.
“…In the words of one Labour Party stalwart, ‘the siege is over’,” he echoed.
The newly elected governor had first contested the governorship seat in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the April 11 and April 25 gubernatorial elections in the state and lost to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Okezie Ikpeazu.
However, on 31st December 2015 the Court of Appeal, which sat in Owerri, Imo State, removed Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP, declaring Otti as the winner of that election.
But on 3rd February 2016 the Supreme Court of Nigeria reversed the verdict of the Court of Appeal, affirming the election of Ikpeazu as governor.
Not giving up, in 2019 he again contested still on the platform of the APGA. He, however, lost again to the the incumbent governor.
Nevertheless, his perseverance this third time on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) has paid off, as he polled 175, 467 votes, defeating the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Okey Ahaiwe, who happens to be the former Chief of Staff to the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Abia State Indigenes Share Their Expectations
With the emergence of Dr. Alex Otti OFR as the newly elected executive governor of Abia State, residents and indigenes alike have expressed their expectations of the incoming government.
#NigeriaDecides2023 #Gubernatorialelections2023 #StateAssemblypolls2023
"We need the incoming governor of Abia state to have the state at heart.
We want a change, particularly the payment of arrears of salary, infrastructure …" says this resident. pic.twitter.com/TqSRhvpw8Z— Voice of Nigeria (@voiceofnigeria) March 22, 2023
“We need a change, a credible governor, improvement in the educational sector, road infrastructure, salary- payment of arrears.
“We need the incoming governor, who is coming to take over now, to have the state at heart.
“What we need is a credible governor that will make a better change for Abians to rejoice,” said a resident of Aba, the trading hub of Abia State.
Although the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may not be a favourite of the teachers, civil servants and pensioners who have been owed salaries/ emoluments and pension for months, there are still some who think he has done a good job.
#NigeriaDecides2023 #Gubernatorialelections2023 #StateAssemblypolls2023
He is of the opinion that the outgoing Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu did a good job. …Well, different strokes for different folks. pic.twitter.com/7jvRuEOI7a— Voice of Nigeria (@voiceofnigeria) March 18, 2023
“For me Okezie did a good job,” said another resident in the indigenous language, Igbo.
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