Abia 2019: Otti infiltrates Ikpeazu’s support base as 3500 PDP, APC members defect to APGA
. Get ready to hand over to Otti, kinsmen tell Ikpeazu
By Steve Oko
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s second term bid Tuesday, suffered a major hitch as Obingwa, his main support base which decided the 2015 poll in his favour has been infiltrated by Dr. Alex Otti of the All Progressive Grand Alliance ( APGA) ahead of the 2019 poll.
Wawa News Global reports that over 3500 members of the Governor’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as well as the All Progressive Congress (APC) from Ikpeazu’s country home defected to APGA.
The Governor’s kinsmen who said they had not fared better under his administration vowed to deliver the Abia LGA with the highest voting population to Otti come 2019.
The mammoth crowd of defectors were received into APGA by Otti who was accompanied to the ceremony by the remaining three APGA members in the state House of Assembly, and the Rev. Augustine Ehiemere -led state Working Committe of the party.
They vowed that the “magical” Obingwa votes which gave Ikpeazu victory in 2015 would be used against him in 2019.
Leader and Spokesman of the defectors, Chief Maduka Akpulonu, apologised to Otti over how he was treated in the area in 2015, assuring him that “come 2019 Obingwa will be delivered to him”.
The Governor’s kinsman accused Ikpeazu of abandoning the people that laboured for him in 2015 and favouring only few of his aides at the expenses of the masses.
Akpulonu who prided himself as the custodian of the secret of election victory in Obingwa asked Ikpeazu to get ready to hand over to Otti in 2019.
He accused the Council Chairman of scuttling the defection earlier scheduled for last week but vowed that nothing will stop them from supporting APGA.
Speaking at the event, Otti who felt very elated at the large crowd that trooped out to receive him told Abians to weep no more assuring that their deliverance is near.
He said he felt their pains as a result of bad leadership but promised to give them the needed change in 2019.
Otti said large turn out at the event was an indication that “the people of Abia are one and have a common problem”, promising to offer the solution.
The former Diamond Bank boss identified some of the common challenges of the state as :the problem of hunger, unpaid salaries, dilapidated schools and decaying infrastructure”.
Otti lamented that while other states in the South East zone have since advanced in development, Abia is still crawling behind.
He however noted that although Gov. Ikpeazu might have good intentions, he lacked the capacity and will power to take Abia to greater heights.
Otti said Abia had been hijacked by a cabal and urged the people to support him for their total liberation.
“Our state has been kidnapped and we have come to reclaim our people from kidnappers in government”, he said.
According to Otti Abia needs a man with capacity, network , experience and competence to revolutionalise it.
” We need a brand new governor without encumbrances”, he added.
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