Otti’s appointees caution politicians against maligning gov

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Political appointees of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti from the Ukwa La Ngwa zone, have cautioned politicians against using ethnic sentiments to malign the governor and the people of the zone, urging them to support the state government’s development agenda.

The 85 appointees, who hail from Ukwa La Ngwa and serve in the Otti administration, made the appeal at a press conference in Umuahia.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Caleb Ajagba, said they had come together to counter what he described as negative narratives and divisive sentiments being promoted against the governor.

He said the criticisms were largely driven by the governor’s resolve to demystify governance and administer the state with transparency and accountability.

“It is important that we underscore this: every Abian, every Nigerian, including those in the international community, could attest to the situation of Abia State before the advent of the Alex Otti administration,” Ajagba said.

According to him, the governor’s commitment to ensuring that the state’s resources are used for the benefit of its people is at the root of the opposition against his administration.

“He has demystified governance. The only crime he has committed is that he has vowed that the resources accruing to Abia State must be used for the development of Abia State,” he stated.

Ajagba argued that three years would not be sufficient to reverse the effects of years of poor governance and mismanagement in the state.

He accused those criticising the current administration of having contributed to the problems it inherited, saying they were now pointing accusing fingers at the governor while he worked to address the challenges left behind by previous governments.

“A government that came to correct maladministration and address the rot of the past cannot begin to dissipate its energy responding to people who created the problems,” he said.

He added that it was unrealistic to expect the administration to resolve all the challenges accumulated over several years within just three years.