Abia APC, PDP Tackle Otti’s Aide Over ‘Unguarded’ Statement

All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party in Abia State have taken the special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma to task over a statement accusing the main opposition parties of instigating violence.

The parties in two separate statements, yesterday, absolved themselves of any involvement in the alleged plan to distract the government and destabilise the state.

Both parties also frowned at the claim by Ekeoma that the opposition parties have terrible cases against Governor Alex Otti before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in the state.

In its reaction the APC in a statement signed by its chairman, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, and the secretary Chief Chidi Avaja, asked security agencies to investigate the utterances of Governor Otti’s aide.

The APC urged the security agencies to find out from Otti how he is so cerain, days before the judgement, that the tribunal would throw the suits against him into the thrash bin on Friday, October 6.

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“APC is a peaceful party that will not engage in anything outside the rule of law or be party to any attempt at distracting any government of the day,” the statement said.

The PDP in a statement signed by the Vice-chairman/ Acting State Publicity Secretary,  Hon Abraham Amah, said it is constrained to call on the judicial authorities to investigate the claim.

He said that judicial investigation of Ekeoma’s statement was necessary “because it is clearly subjudice and raises the specter of compromise in the litigation process of the election petition tribunal”.

“We call on all Abians, lovers of freedom, liberty, justice and democracy to remain vigilant and ensure that the will of the people is not subverted by people using the apparatus of State power to intimidate anybody.”.

Ekeoma was reacting to allegations by two groups that Otti was sponsoring the litigation of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and using the Indigenous People of Biafra to cause terror in the state.

He had said: “The two opposition parties that are in court against Governor Otti and who are suspected to be the brains behind these allegations know very well that they have terrible cases.

The adviser maintained that “their suits would be thrown into the thrash bin on the 6th of October, hence the resort to this panic and desperate strategy of deceit and destabilization.”