“My Inauguration As Abia State Governor Is Sacred” – Alex Otti

Dr Alex Otti, the governor-elect of Abia, has stated that his inauguration on May 29 is sacred and that the mandate granted to him by the people of Abia cannot be taken by force.

The newly elected governor declared that he was prepared to assume control of the state while listening to the report of the Transition Council, which was established last month to help him determine the course of his government.

Otti, who commended the Council for completing the assignment quickly, advised Abians not to be alarmed by last Friday’s alleged court decision nullifying his candidacy and dismissed it as having no significance.

The incoming governor claimed that his legal team was already handling the matter and that his main concern was getting things started as soon as he was sworn in.

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He said, “My lawyers are doing something about it, I can assure you, but I don’t think it’s something to worry about. However, eternal vigilance is what is required, when you have enemies around you.

“So, I want to reassure you that the mandate that the Abia people gave us is sacrosanct. Nobody should lose sleep. We will be sworn in on the 29th of May, and we will complete our four years and we will seek the renewal of the mandate I can assure you that the Abia people will renew the mandate and we will do another four years and Abia people will be happy and all these are by the grace of God.”

Otti claimed the council had made his work incredibly simple.

The Managing Director of PWC, Mr Victor Onyenkpa, and the former Executive Chairman of Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs Ifueko Omogui-Okaru, led the 101-member Council.

Otti assured, “On listening to the presentation of the Chairman, I will say that this job has been made very easy by the job that you have done. Granted some of the things that you have recommended are things that we have talked about, but a lot of them are also things that are new. And even the things that we have talked about, you have brought in sharper relief and focus. So, it becomes easier to implement. I must say thank you to all of you.

“I want to thank you for the energy, I want to thank you for the time you put into this. I want to thank you for doing a job without pay. I do know how important your time is. You can rest assured that we are not going to take lightly the efforts you have put into this.

“You will also be very proud, I can assure you, that the recommendations that you have made will be implemented.”

Regarding his intentions to establish a Ministry for Aba’s development, Otti stated that he would reevaluate the nomenclature in accordance with the council’s recommendation to redesignate it out of concern that a ministry with its bureaucratic red tape might undermine the admirable goal of the Aba renewal agenda.

He said, “When we talk about disruption, when we talk about digital economy when we talk about Aba, and I agree with you when you say, maybe the creation of a Ministry is not the solution, we’ll go and look at it again. The reality is that I want an agency that will report directly to me, that is in charge of Aba.

“So, if calling it a Ministry will take away from what we want to achieve, we can call it anything and if the Ministry with all its bureaucracy can be a problem, I can be a Commissioner in charge of Aba.”

As Abia State’s governor, he made a commitment to reform the council and keep it in place.

He said, “I will like to say, on the final note, that this Committee will not be dissolved. This Committee remains a Standing Committee. The only thing that will change is its name.

“The leadership remains and with your permission, I will like to transform the committee into a Special Advisory Committee, unlike what happens in a few other places. We will reorganise it but it will be a standing committee for as long as I’m the Governor of State.”