Kinsmen of the former Premier of Eastern Nigeria, late Dr Michael Okpara, have told former governors of Abia State that their threat to stop Governor Alex Otti from being re-elected is not supported by the popular will of the electorate.
 
This was contained in a message delivered by Uzodimma Okpara, the son of the late former Premier in Ohuhu, Umuahia North Local Council.
 
Uzodimma, who was reacting to the threat jointly issued against Otti by former governors Orji Kalu, Theodore Orji, and Okezie Ikpeazu, said the people should be allowed to choose who governs them.
 
While urging the people to rally behind the governor, Okpara said the state is emerging from past years of underdevelopment.
 
In his address at a meeting focused on contemporary issues in the state, Okpara affirmed that Otti has launched remarkable initiatives to reconstruct the state’s infrastructure.
 
Stating that the governor’s commitment to the state’s progress is palpable, he said that under Otti’s leadership, the state has witnessed a renaissance that is revitalising communities and enhancing citizens’ quality of life.
 
On allegations that Otti is running a government in which contract costs are deliberately inflated, Uzodimma said that those making the claims should reconcile the funds the state government receives with the details of expenditures before making such accusations.
 
The son of the former Premier said that Umuahia, Aba, and other major towns in Abia were covered with heaps of refuse before the current administration took office, noting that the state now has a cleaner environment, better infrastructure, and a functioning educational system.
 
He therefore stressed that it is the collective responsibility of Abians to recognise and support the governor’s efforts rather than play negative politics with these positive achievements, affirming that Otti has laid and is still laying the foundation for a prosperous Abia.
 
In his speech, the local government Chairman of Umuahia North Council, Smart Iheoma, also confirmed that Otti is not hijacking financial allocations coming to his council. Ihuoma said he should be held accountable for every fund accruing to the local council.
 
However, the late premier’s kinsmen lamented that the 200-bed hospital project he initiated has remained abandoned at the level he left it before his death in 1984 at the age of 64.
 
They also cited the Greater Ohuhu Water Scheme Project rehabilitation, which has lingered over the years, and drew the attention of Abia State Governor Alex Otti, who, they attested, has been positively disposed towards addressing matters concerning the late premier.