Abia Accord party guber candidate steps down for Otti
By Steve Oko
The governorship candidate of the Accord party in the March 9 election in Abia State, Barrister Emeka Uwakolam, has stepped down for Dr. Alex Otti of the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA.
He said he took the decision because of the obvious need to enthrone good governance in Abia.
Uwakolam disclosed this Friday when he came to Otti’s Campaign headquarters in Umuahia in the company of his supporters.
He said he discovered that he had similar manifesto with Otti and decided to step down for the former Diamond Bank boss who he added, has greater capacity to deliver.
Uwakolam said the decision was not as a result of any financial inducement but taken in the overriding interest of the state.
He, therefore, appealed to other opposition governorship candidates to also step down for Otti so he could have their bloc vote at the poll.
This, according to him was to enable them forge a united front and wrest power from the incumbent Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, who he said had dissapointed the state.
” I want other candidates and indeed all Abians to stand behind Otti who has the capacity to unseat Ikpeazu instead of dissipating energy in different fronts and allowing the statusquo to remain .
” I made this decision to ensure the desire of Abians for genuine change comes to fruition . So, since I have seen a man with greater capacity to move Abia forward, I have to go into partnership with him “.
Uwakolam said his action should not be misinterpreted to mean that he had joined APGA, insisting that he is still very much in Accord party.
” My partnership is with Otti and not APGA. I am still in my party. We will maintain our structures but vote for Otti based on his person “.
He said Otti won his admiration because “he is the only major candidate without any political god-father”.
Asked what value his partnership would add to Otti on the theory that his party is not too popular in the state, Uwakolam said he had “over 20 structures with about 100,000 youths who desperately need change in Abia”.
Responding, Otti thanked him for the action describing him as one of the strongest candidates in the race.
Otti said he was delighted to have partners in his avowed determination to “rescue the state from the hands of those who have kidnapped it “.
Otti vowed to abolish god fatherism in the state if elected, and to transform Abia in all fronts.
End
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