From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Abia State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is at loggerheads with the Board of Trustees (BoT) Acting chairman of the party, Chief Adolphus Wabara, over a statement credited to the latter about Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
Wabara had last week, commended Otti for the flag off of the 6.7km Port Harcourt Road in Aba, saying with the rest, the governor had earned himself a second term in office.
“Governor Otti is reliable and a true man of honour. With this feat alone, his second term in office is already well assured. He is a Master Strategist. He wasn’t a top banker for nothing,” Wabara said.
However, irked by Wabara’s disposition, the PDP in a statement by its Acting state publicity secretary, Amah Abraham
while disassociating the party in the state with the statement, said the ex-Senate President did not speak for PDP.
Abraham said the statement presented Wabara as someone who has either lost touch with reality or is not at home with the undercurrents of Abia politics.
The PDP state publicity secretary cautioned that a highly placed official of the PDP like Wabara who failed to deliver his polling unit for the PDP during the last election should be mindful of his statements in the public.
He said the Party has appropriate channels of communication which must not be breached by any officer, no matter how highly placed.
His statement read in part, “The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to a statement credited to the Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Board of Trustees (BOT), Senator Adolphus Wabara wherein he allegedly said that Alex Otti has earned himself a second term in office because of the flag off of the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt Road in Aba.
“The Abia PDP states in very clear terms that he did not speak for the Abia PDP and has never spoken for the Abia PDP and therefore dissociate itself with the said statement which presented Senator Wabara as someone who has either lost touch with the reality, is not at home with the undercurrents of Abia politics or one who probably spoke under the influence of some elements.
“While we recognize his entitlement to his personal opinions on issues relating to governance in Abia State and Nigeria, the Abia PDP is constrained to warn that such a highly placed official of the PDP who failed to deliver his unit for the Party during the last election should be mindful of his conduct and statements in the public, especially if the person is not well versed on the issue at core. The Party has appropriate channels of communication which must not be breached by any officer, no matter how highly placed.”
The party however described the continuation of the Port Harcourt road project by Gov. Otti, as a good step in the right direction.