The 2015 and 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti, has defected to the All progressive congress (APC), he was formally received into the party by officials of the party at his ward (Ward 5, Nguru, Isiala Ngwa South LGA), local government and state levels respectively.
The former Managing Director/CEO of defunct Diamond Bank said he joined APC “with over 450, 000 of his followers.”
Among those who moved over to APC with Otti on Friday were his running mate, Dr. (Mrs.) Uche Eme Uche, Chief David Ogba Onuoha (Bourdex), Chief Chris Nkwonta (both of who ran for Abia North and South Senatorial Districts election in 2019), Navy Command Mac Donald Uba (retd), former House of Assembly members and lots of others.
Speaking during his official declaration for APC at his Ehi na Uguru Ward 5 in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, Otti said he and his followers did not leave APGA because they could not achieve their political desire, but to stand on a better platform “for the good of Abia”.
“It is pertinent to put on record the fact that through the hard work of our supporters, we were able to make APGA a very formidable party in the state that it won 11, out of the 24 House of Assembly seats and a Federal House of Representatives’ seat after the 2015 election.
“It is on record also that we overwhelmingly won the governorship mandate of the state before PDP invaded the collation centre and brazenly stole the mandate, but we have put the whole incident and many ugly ones behind us.”
Otti, who met with Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a week before his declaration, said prior to the 2019 election, his supporters and some leaders of APC had urged him to join APC, but that he did not find such a move expedient before now.
“But after long consultations and considerations, we now believe that the time has come to join forces with the APC and henceforth fight on the same side for the emancipation of our state from the choke-hold of the PDP and its cohorts. It is now clear to everyone that PDP is like a monster, which has its knees on the throats of Abians,” the ex-banker said.
While assuring leaders of APC at the party secretariat in Umuahia where he was presented to the state Exco by the LG executive that he had not come to struggle for party office with anybody, Otti said his quest was to serve to create a better life for Abia people.
Receiving the former APGA governorship candidate into APC, state chairman of the party, Chief Donatus Nwankpa expressed joy that Otti has at last joined the moving train.
Nwankpa while saying all the new entrants would not be treated differently in the affairs of the party assured Otti of a level playing field.
