The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Abia State, has berated Abia State governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti, and his party, the Labour Party for accusing the state government and a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in the state of plot to foist an interim government on the state.
Recall that Otti, and his party, the Labour Party, had Monday, raised the alarm over plot by the PDP and a chieftain of APC to foist an interim government on the state come May 29.
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Abia PDP spokesman, Amah Abraham, while reacting to the allegation in a statement on Monday, said: “The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to a press release jointly issued by one Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Abia Governor-Elect and Njoku Jerry Ajike, State Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party in which they alleged that the Labour Party and Dr. Alex Otti have uncovered, yet another treasonable plot by the agents of the Abia State government and on the one hand and a chieftain of the APC on the other, in connivance with some corrupt officials in INEC to procure another tainted order from yet another court in the North purporting to have removed the Abia governor-elect, Dr. Alex Otti.
“These allegations are weighty and border on constitutionalism, the integrity of the judiciary and the election umpire INEC, and speak to the uncoordinated tantrums coming out from the party and its candidate in the 2023 Abia guber election.
” Hopefully, the Labour Party and Alex Otti clearly understand the implications of accusing someone of the high crime of treason and should be able to prove their allegations beyond reasonable doubt. “The judgment of the Federal High Court was made in good faith and the jurisdiction of a federal high court in Nigeria covers the entire Nigerian federation. The applicant who went to court to seek for the reliefs is a citizen of Kano State and should not have come to Umuahia, Aba or Ohafia to file his application. For Alex Otti and the Labour Party to claim that the judgment of a high court is tainted is itself a contempt of the court and therefore actionable and punishable by law.
“More curious is the fact that the same Labour Party and Alex Otti that have continuously advised Abians to ignore the judgment of the Kano High Court because it is inconsequential are busy fretting about the said inconsequential judgment.
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“If the judgment is so inconsequential, why are they clogging the media space with news items that purport another scheme by the Abia State government and an APC chieftain to dislodge the election of Alex Otti by trying to obtain, yet another ‘tainted’ judgment?
“This is akin to a confused man who says that his house is not on fire but goes ahead to invite men of the fire service to come and put off a non-existent fire. This goes to show that both Labour Party and Alex Otti are quite unsure of themselves and trying very hard to discredit the Abia State government just to shore up their dwindling chances.
“It is in the character of a man like Alex Otti to detest the dish he serves others when the same dish is served to him. In 2015, Alex Otti took Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to court and the case lasted for three years after the Supreme Court dismissed his case against Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu in 2018.
“When Uche Ogah took the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to court after Otti’s case had been dispensed with, the same Otti that is whining today joined himself as an interested party to the suit filed by Dr. Uche Ogah which made the Supreme Court Justices describe him as a “meddlesome interloper.
“And today, Alex Otti is describing those that have gone to court to challenge his victory as felons. What manner of political intolerance could that be?
“The Abia PDP last week said that it was not a party to the suit filed against the Labour Party and the Abia Governor-elect at the Kano federal high court and maintains that its own case which it is going to pursue to a conclusion is at the Abia State Election Petition Tribunal holding at Umuahia but it would equally not ignore the judgment of a federal high court which relates to the particulars of its own case at the Tribunal.
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“Abia PDP advises Alex Otti and the Labour Party to stop stoking unnecessary tension in Abia and allow the judiciary to do its work. Since he was announced winner of the March 18, 2023, governorship election in Abia, the only things Otti has done is to issue threats to operatives of the Abia State government, exhibit intolerance of what critics say, cause division in Abia and disturb the peace of the quiet State made possible by the strategic calculations of His Excellency Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. Is that the kind of Governor Alex Otti would be? Is he going to be a governor or an emperor?
“We advise the members of the PDP and the good people of Abia State to remain peaceful, calm, law abiding and wait for the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal so that Abians would know who actually won the Abia governorship election.”
