Abia Appointees Battle Negative Narratives

Chief of Staff (CoS) to Abia State governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, says the governor, Dr Alex Otti, had ensured that resources accruing to the state must be used for its development. ‎

Ajagba stated this at a press briefing by organised by 85 appointees of the governor and mayors of the nine local government areas of the bloc in Umuahia the state capital yesterday.

The CoS, who is the leader of the appointees, said the briefing was based on their collective decision to address some of the negative narratives they had observed in the state.

He attributed the negative criticism and sentiments against the governor to his resolve to demystify governance and lead the state with transparency and accountability.

”It is important we underscore this; every Abian, every Nigerian including those in the international community could attest to the situation of the state before the advent of the Alex Otti administration,” he said.

Ajagba called for issue-based political campaigns, urging political actors to focus on policies and programmes capable of addressing the challenges facing the state.

“This is a warning to everyone. I believe that the kind of campaigns we should be looking at should be issue-based campaigns, things that will address the challenges Abia is facing.

”His approach to appointments was based on integrity, capacity, capability and merit, adding that the administration’s emphasis on these principles had attracted criticism from some quarters,” Ajagba added.
Reading an eight-point resolution signed by the appointees, the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, said it was endorsed by the appointees and the nine mayors.

‎‎He said they had observed disjointed and politically motivated narratives circulating on social media, particularly claims suggesting that the people of bloc were opposed to the Governor Otti administration.

‎‎He warned politicians against denigrating the people of the zone for political gains, insisting that the appointees fully identified with the governor’s vision, policies and development agenda.

‎‎According to him, the appointees would resist any attempt by politicians or groups to undermine the relationship between the people of Ukwa La Ngwa and the governor.

‎‎“We shall stoutly resist, within the limits of legitimate democratic engagement, any attempt by any politician or group of politicians to denigrate our people and present in a negative light our very beautiful relationship with our son, the Governor, and his administration.

‎‎“The infantile narratives about whether Governor Alex Otti is Ngwa or not are not only unfortunate but connote an absolute lack of knowledge or idiocy.
‎‎”Not even Dr Alex Otti can reverse, after three generations before him, the fact of his land of birth and the potency of the earth that hosts his umbilical cord after birth,” he said.

‎‎He maintained that sons and daughters of the bloc were adequately represented in the present administration and were making meaningful contributions to the state’s development.

‎‎He acknowleded the right of citizens to express political opinions and engage in constructive dissent, saying they opposed attempts to use the bloc’s political platform to advance personal ambitions at the expense of its collective interests.

‎‎He urged the people to remain calm and allow the administration to continue its development efforts, cautioning those campaigning against the governor against introducing unnecessary sub-ethnic sentiments into their political activities.

‎‎“We hereby advise all Ukwa La Ngwa sons and daughters, whose stock in trade is to seek to embarrass our collective sensibilities as a people by giving a needless sub-ethnic slant to their campaigns against the governor, to retrace their steps immediately.‎

‎“We urge our people to remain calm and allow the present administration, which has demonstrated a clear and unmistakable desire to rebuild the broken walls of development in the state, to continue in its trajectory,” he said.
‎Nwachukwu also expressed concern over what he described as the use of traditional practices during political campaigns, alleging that some individuals had poured alcoholic drinks as libations at campaign grounds.

‎‎“For the first time in my life in politics, I’m seeing people who go to campaigns, and then they are carrying hot drinks to pour libation on campaign grounds. That is devilish. That is witchcraft.
‎He added that they would not remain silent over practices they considered detrimental to the state’s collective interests, stressing the need for political actors to conduct their activities responsibly.