By Ebere Agozie, Abuja/Ihechinyere Chigemeri-Uwom, Nvosi (Abia)/Leonard Okachie, Umuahia
Jan. 12,2024
Gov. Alex Otti of Abia, on Friday, commended President Bola Tinubu for his non-interference with the judgment delivered in different election matters by the Supreme Court.
Otti made the commendation on Friday, while reacting to the apex court’s verdict that affirmed his election as governor in the March 18, 2023 General Elections.
He spoke in an interaction with newsmen in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.
The Supreme Court had upheld his election as the governor of Abia with Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, while delivering the judgment, dismissing the appeal against his victory.
She held that the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked merit.
NAN reports that the appeals were lodged against Otti, who won his election on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, by the candidate of the PDP, Chief Okey Ahiwe, and his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Ikechi Emenike.
It will be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared that Otti polled 175,466 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ahiwe of the PDP, who scored 88,529 votes in the gubernatorial poll.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, both Ahiwe and Emenike of the APC, who came in third, separately challenged it.
However, in a judgement delivered on October 6, 2023, the Abia State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal dismissed the petitions and upheld Otti’s election victory.
The verdict of the tribunal was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which also dismissed appeals that were entered against Otti by both the PDP and APC candidates.
Gov. Otti thanked Tinubu for remaining firm in his resolve to ensure that the judiciary remains independent.
According to the governor, this gesture has made the judicial process to produce positive results in the country.
“If he did not do that, some of the judgments and verdicts that were given today (Friday) might have been different.
“That is why today the NNPP governor in Kano State was returned, though he lost at the lower tribunal and Appeal Court.
“I want to encourage the president to continue in that light.
“I believe that his non intervention in the judicial process has produced positive results in the country today.
“A few places where people were getting ready to burn down places today, they have shelved their plots because the rule of law prevailed,’’ Otti said.
He also commended the judiciary for remaining firm and not allowing the people’s will to be truncated by desperate politicians.
He said that the development had indeed reaffirmed that “the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man”.
The governor thanked the governorship candidates in Abia, especially those who did not go to court, for being supportive as well as the men of God, who kept praying for him and the Abia Government.
“I want to invite everyone, including my opponents who were in court with me, to say now that the battle is over, you have no choice but to sheath your swords.
“I invite you to come with every good idea you have, let us sit down and discuss because the most important thing is Abia.
“Anybody that has anything to contribute to the positive development of the state is welcomed, irrespective of their political, ethnic and religious leanings. We are one and the same people.
“From now on, division cannot be allowed in Abia. We are all in one boat.
“Anybody who wants the good of our state should join us in this boat and the boat is large enough to accept and receive everyone,” Otti said.
He thanked God for the victory as well as the people of Abia for supporting him in his effort to rescue Abia from maladministration.
He congratulated all the governors, who also won their cases in court and appreciated other Nigerians who, he said, admired his style of leadership.
Otti further said that the Supreme Court verdict had renewed his resolve to deliver the dividends of democracy to the citizens and restore the dignity of the people of Abia.
He said that he was desirous to ensure that the state would be positively reckoned with in the comity of states of the federation.
In its reaction to the verdict of the apex court, the PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, Chief Abraham Amah, said that the judgement had brought the case to an end.
Also in the congratulatory statement made available to NAN in Umuahia, Amah urged Otti “to deliver on his campaign promises to the electorate”.
He gave assurance that “we would always offer incisive and constructive criticism to help redirect your government, whenever it wants to stray.”
The judgment evoked palpable excitement amongst the residents, many of whom were seen engaging in warm embraces, handshakes and patting on the backs to demonstrate their joy.
They said that they were not surprised by the Supreme Court judgment, considering that “Abia people truly voted for Otti and LP.
“Personally, I haboured no fear that Otti would carry the day because he was the people’s choice.
“All the teachers in Abia, civil and public servants, pensioners, market men and women, artisans, Keke and commuter-bus operators, in fact, all Abia people of good conscience voted for Otti and LP.
“We are all happy and thank the Justices of the Supreme Court for upholding the people’s choice,” a secondary school teacher, who identified herself simply as Angela, told NAN.
In a similar vein, Archbishop Chibuzor Opoko of the Methodist Archdiocese of Umuahia, described Otti’s victory as one for “all Abia people, who need a change”.
Opoko, who spoke in an interview with NAN in a reaction to the judgment, thanked God that justice had been served in the Abia governorship poll.
According to him, it is not Otti’s victory, it is a victory for prayers by the people who also worked for it, as well as victory of light.
“I had told people that what the opponents were going to the Supreme Court to do was an exercise in futility because Abia people wanted a change.
“If what I see now in Abia is being done in less than five months, in terms of infrastructure development, then we have a hope.
“I thank God that the Supreme Court Judges have once again shown that there is justice because what would have happened in Abia would have been unprecedented, if things had gone the wrong way.
“Therefore, by this victory, they should allow this man to work,” the cleric further said.
Also, a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Christian Anokwuru, said that Otti’s triumph “stands as a divine affirmation of the people’s resounding choice”.
Anokwuru, an aide to the Governor on Policies and Intervention, described the judiciary as “the ultimate refuge for the common man.
“The judiciary serves as the bastion of justice, where fairness prevails and the rule of law is upheld.
“This landmark victory is a testament to the pivotal role the judiciary plays as the last hope for justice in our society.
“In a chorus of celebration, the people of Abia join their voices in expressing gratitude to the judiciary.
“In conclusion, this victory, seen as God’s affirmation of the people’s choice, echoes the sentiment that justice, like the shining moon, cannot be concealed,” the clergyman said.
