Post-Nigeria 2023 elections: Stop funding legal cases against Tinubu —- Group cautions Otti
By Chijindu Emeruwa
A pro-democracy organization, the New Abia Movement, has written to the President of Nigeria, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the slow pace of governance in Abia state.
The group particularly, drew the President’s attention to the alleged interference in the activities of the State House of Assembly by the governor, accusing the Abia helmsman of imposing a stooge as speaker of the state legislative house.
The Abia socio-political organization bared its minds through a release made available to newsmen in Aba.
The release was jointly signed by the Convener of the New Abia Movement (NAM), Evangelist Henry Onyike-Isiguzo, and the Public Relation Officer, Barrister Ebere Nwokolo, respectively.
The organization also noted that Governor Otti had coaxed the state assembly under an imposer as speaker, in approving monetary budgets without recourse to due process with the sole purpose of funding electoral lawsuits instituted by the presidential candidate of the labour party, Peter Obi, against President Bola Tinubu’s election at the recently-conducted polls by the independent National Electoral Commission.
According to the southeast group, “The New Abia Movement is not opposed to Peter Obi’s latest move to appeal against recent verdict of the Justice Presidential Election Petition Tribunal at the supreme court, but we supports constitutional rights of the candidate to challenge decision of the election tribunal in favour of Tinubu at the apex court.
“This socio-political movement believes that using Abia taxpayer’s money to fight against President Tinubu, and funds the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states, at a time Abia civil servants are sacked, and electoral promises are not fulfilled amounts to unfairness, and must also be resisted by Abia people.
“This organization is equally convinced that funding discreetly Peter Obi’s supreme court cases against President Tinubu will destroy the federal government’s relationship with Abia and ndigbo. And also, Governor Alex Otti’s latest clandestine antagonism against Tinubu, by bankrolling Peter Obi’s appeal at the supreme court may truncate the government’s revolution in infrastructure in southeast zone”, the pressure group insisted.
Continuing, it further maintained “The New Abia Movement would continue to interface and engage all elected government officials irrespective of different political leanings, titled to deepening democratic in every facets of Abia state.
“Whether they belong to ruling APC, PDP, LP and rest of others, this Abia movement will continue to ensure all elected political office-holders from Abia must be held accountable by the people who entrusted them the current mandates to govern and represent them in state and national level. Abia must move forward for higher pedestal in socio-economic and Infrastructural developments,” the organization also posited.
While also calling on the national chairman of the labour party, Comrade Abure to stay off and refrain in partaking on the alleged looting spree in the state by present Abia government led by Otti, the group berated the party’s chairman for allegedly negating democratic principle in which the party was founded on by democrats.
The New Abia Movement therefore admonished Governor Alex Chioma Otti to fulfill his electoral promises he made to the electorates in the state, rather than, his current resorts in sponsoring the labour party’s litigations which it according to the group, is of no benefits to the state and the populaces who are yearning for effective, efficient and responsive governance at all levels in Abia state.
Words: “We advise the state governor to focus in realizing his agendas for Abia’s development which he unveiled to people of Abia during the last election campaigns. He should ensure he full his promises to Abians which included engendering prompt payment of salaries to members of the State workforce, and constructing of durable roads with reputable firms, like the widely-celebrated Julius Berger Construction company and numerous of others, as promised earlier concluded 2023 election campaigns and rallies.
