Alex Otti, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, governorship candidate in the just concluded 2019 general election in Abia State, has dismissed claims by the Augustine Ehiemere-led State Working Committee of the party, claiming unaware of the petition he (Otti) instituted at the tribunal.
The party had claimed that it was unaware of Otti’s petition challenging the declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate and the incumbent Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, as winner of the March 9 gubernatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Otti, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Ferdinand Ekeoma and made available to reporters on Wednesday in Umuahia, berated the state leadership of APGA, over its alleged compromise to sabotage his petition, challenging the reelection of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as Abia Governor for a second term.
The statement reads, “The leadership of APGA is very much aware and was involved in the suit filed by Dr. Alex Otti OFR. It would be unreasonable to get Mr. Ehiemere and a few others who had been compromised and had gone to congratulate Ikpeazu without the consent of the party, to sabotage the suit involved. APGA is an institution, and thus the absence of a deviated officer cannot halt the existence and operation of the party. Simply put, the claim is useless, baseless, unfounded and inconsequential.
“The issue of removing Otti as the leader of APGA in Abia is not only ludicrous, but a creation of some dullards and lazy ignoramuses who were on an entertainment jamboree. It must be stated for the sake of the uninformed that our party APGA has no constitutional provision for the position of State Leader. We only have a national leader of the party as provided for in Article 10 of the Party’s constitution, and our only governor, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano is at the moment, the national leader of the party.
“Alex Otti, OFR has never addressed himself as the leader of APGA in Abia. Of course, as a man of genuine multiple achievements, he’s not excited by fantasies of titles, more so, one that is alien to our constitution. However , APGA apostles and millions of Abians know that leadership goes with responsibilities, and having seen the courage, capacity, consistency, sincerity and seriousness with which Otti has dutifully carried the burden of APGA and opposition leadership in Abia, some people had voluntarily recognized and accorded him the respect deserving of a responsible leader. Otti would be glad to have dozens of patriotic leaders out there who would be willing to share this leadership burden, which for now is more of a cross of liberation than a crown of glory.
Recall that DAILY POST had reported that All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA), in Abia state, had dumped its governorship candidate in the just concluded 2019 general election in Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti, as its leader.
The State chairman of APGA, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, flanked by members of the State Executive Committee (SWC), had during a press conference held in Umuahia, announced Hon. Ossy Prestige, the current member representing Aba North and Aba South constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, as the new leader of the party in the state.
According to the APGA SWC, the adoption of the federal lawmaker as the leader of the party in Abia state; was in line with the constitution.
