From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti said he was not bothered about the rantings of the opposition party members in Abia State, describing them as coming from people who are not serious minded.
Otti made the remark while receiving the member representing Bende North State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe, who recently dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling Labour Party (LP) in Abia State.
He noted that some of the opposition members who make noise about coming to contest elections do not actually mean to run elections, but seek either recognition, negotiation or projection, hence, should not be taken seriously.
“We are not bothered about the opposition and their noise. There are different reasons why people show up (for elections). Sometimes, they just want recognition; that their names showed up for the primaries, knowing full well that they will not win the election.
“Some of them also come for negotiations and then, of course, some others also show up for projections; they look at themselves and say, ‘if I start the noise in 2025, maybe by 2040, they will know that I have been in the race and they will call me and recognise me’, so they are projecting themselves,” said Otti.
The governor stated that he was focused on doing the job the people elected him to do, stressing that the works he is doing across the state would respond to the noise of the opposition at the appropriate time.
“People are making noise, but I respond with work. We are very committed to the job that our people asked us to do. We are doing just that. For us, governance is about stewardship and leadership. And that is what is keeping us here.”
Otti congratulated Ibekwe on his bold decision to leave his former political party to join him in the Labour Party and noted that nobody pressured the lawmaker to leave his party.
He added that his government does not emphasise much on political platforms in governance, but rather pays attention to delivering quality and good governance to the people. He was of the view that the Labour Party does not discriminate and assured him that an official reception would be later organised for him.
Ibekwe had earlier told the governor that he was attracted to the Labour Party by the achievements of Otti, which he described as unprecedented. Ibekwe acknowledged that this was the best time for Abia people and lauded the visionary leadership of Governor Otti.