Abia Election Tribunal Judgement: Alex Otti's Olive Branch, Hypocritical, Self-Serving - Group | #NwokeukwuMascot

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 Dr Alex Chioma Otti 

The Abia Renaissance Movement, ARM, has described Alex Otti's olive branch offered to opposition parties seeking to upturn his election victory at the tribunal as hypocritical and self-serving.

The group made this known in a statement signed by the Convener, Comrade Ukachukwu Chinonso and the Secretary-General, Comrade Mrs Maria Nwokoma and made available to the media in Umuahia on Monday.

Recall that shortly after the Abia State Election Petition Tribunal delivered its judgement, Alex Otti was reported to have asked his opponents to sheathe their swords and join hands with him for the sake of Abia describing dragging him through the tribunal as a waste of resources.

"Anyhow you slice and dice it, it costs a lot of money to engage in litigation. While I will not ask them to bring the money to me, I would advise that each of them have villages that are dilapidating, without roads, without water, and I believe that their communities will appreciate it if they would channel those resources to building roads in their villages and communities,” he was quoted to have said.

Governor Otti said the resources spent by his opponents in prosecuting the litigation could be used in providing pipe borne water and ensuring that Abia remains peaceful for the benefit of its residents.

However, ARM said Otti lacked the moral right and was in no position whatsoever to pontificate on such matters as he dragged the immediate past governor of the state through the courts on two different occasions, 2015 and 2019, up to the Supreme Court.

"We wonder why Otti did not deploy his resources to help his community then but used them to pursue election cases he knew he would never win given that he was roundly defeated twice in free, fair and credible elections in 2015 and 2019 unlike that of 2023 that was fraught with irregularities and for which the litigants seek to correct through the courts, only for him to turn around and preach what he couldn't practise for all the nearly eight years he dragged the immediate past governor through the courts.

"We see Otti's unsolicited and hypocritical advice as a failed strategy to pit the people against the petitioners and divert the attention of well-meaning Abians from the germane issues being canvassed by the petitioners which are in the best interest of the state.

"Otti should keep his olive branch and ill-conceived advice to himself and focus on running a humane government for the remaining short period his government will last.

"This is another instance in the many vices Otti is noted for which has led to multiple protests from different segments of Abians in just four months of his ascendancy to power.

"We urge the litigants not to fall for the antics of Alex Otti and pursue their merit-based petitions to the highest courts as we believe strongly in the ability of the judiciary to eventually save Abians from Alex Otti's siege on the state," the group concluded.