By Eddie Onuzuruike
Page 92 of THISDAY, the Sunday Newspaper of February 28, 2016 presented another bold claim at illegality yet to be rivaled in Nigeria Politics. Otti as a Christian adhered to a biblical injunction which says in Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Otti actually went to church and delivered a well-rehearsed speech which turned to be a lengthier sermon than the main sermon of the day. There is nothing wrong in thanksgiving only that Otti told quantum lies in the house of God, compounding his problems as these are extra curses administered on his head. Not surprising as William Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice admitted that ‘the devil can cite scriptures for his purpose.’
His speech resonated with hate words, insults, blackmails and more. Take these for example: ‘the injustice that denied them the right to choose who governs them- Battle field.- While the Abia battle for freedom lasted.- He allowed our victory to be brazenly stolen. While I never assumed that the battle would be a tea party, considering the virile and formidable structure of anti democratic cabal holding the state down for years. I never imagined that human beings will exhibit such bestial attitude in a desperate desire to hold on to power against the collective will of the people.’
All these above are words Otti used in the church. His desperation during the election was a surprise to all but his description of the events as the Battle of Abia as quoted above gives meaning to the horror of his tactics. Can you imagine Otti saying all these brash and caustic things against Sen. T. A. Orji, a man Otti begged to anoint him before his hegira to APGA? When Otti stood in Aba and preached about developing Aba, you will hardly believe that it is the same Otti who wrote off Aba when Governor Orji and Greenfield Limited, the construction company handling Aba Mega Mall approached him as an Abia son in Diamond Bank to fund a development project. His apparatus was rife with many false claims. ‘Alex Otti has secured $100b facility to develop an industrial park in Aba.’ Damn white lies! This same falsehood was published in The Sun Daily by Okey Sampson.
Another horrendous example: ‘Abians were already fed up with consecutive governments that have continued to squander the collective wealth of the state. Civil Servants had not received their salaries for over a year, hospitals were places where you go to contact diseases rather than get cured. Our schools have no roof, teachers are not trained and not paid. Infrastructure of the state is not different from what it was immediately after the civil war.’
By the time Alex was saying these, Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu, The Health Minister, had visited Abia, opening new health installations, Primary Health Care Centers had been updated from 270 to 710 by the Orji administration, new dialysis machines had been installed, Amachara Gen Hospital was bequeathed with new buildings, chest centre, House Officers Residence and a tentative Ebola/malaria center. There were new 100 bed hospitals in 9 different LGAs. Ha-ba Otti!
A stunning news was released by NANA, National Association of North American Nurses that medical tests carried out in Amachara were accepted in an American hospital and used to diagnose a mother of a NANA official. With such laudable breakthrough, Otti selfishly likened Abia health delivery to a post civil war state.
He vilifies the Supreme Court in many paragraphs of his speech because he was not allowed his faulty plea. Out of four stages of adjudication, Otti won only one which mathematically stands at one over four (1/4). Look at these stages: the result of the election as proclaimed by INEC, the governorship tribunal at Umuahia, the Appeal Court at Owerri and the Supreme Court in Abuja.
Even the Appeal Court upheld that the returning officer erred as he had no powers to cancel elections but Otti boasts to church members how he was able to challenge T. A. Orji in INEC. Otti and Senator Orji, who is now correct?
The good thing about this latest foul cries and accusation of assassination is that it was made in the presence of God who knows our minds and the truth. Otti fought tooth and nail and spilled innocent blood aided by troops provided by a recently retired General who ambitiously wanted to join the fray without due considerations.
Otti while invoking curses from God cooked up stories including an assassination attempt on his life. Most of his allegations should be clues for police investigations if presented with all these body of evidence.
Arson is a serious crime. He accused PDP of burning INEC office. What stops him from sponsoring that since it would lead to the discovery that he made fake claims, he is equally a suspect.
In Otti’s sermon in the church, so many issues were raised and fleeting accusations made, curiously with certainty. It is only Otti who knows why he has refused to volunteer these cast-iron proofs to the police in many cases where he mentioned names.
On the other hand, it is good enough that he went to God. He should be reminded that in many instances, he lied on oath.
What about his claims to be Onye Ngwa? What about his choice of deputy which was made in great mockery on Ndi Ukwa na Ngwa. There are other flagrant lies which he bandied to be relevant if I should advance another instance.
Otti is obviously disillusioned and needs somebody to remind him that he is living in the dreamland. What gives Otti the impression that he can try the governorship once and get it from a scraggy platform of a regional party like APGA? Abia governorship election is won and lost. Otti for now is the prime loser and has 3 years to plan another battle, if we should bandy his favorite word for elections. Otti has sworn not to congratulate Ikpeazu as if it will remove the title of His Excellency from Dr Ikpeazu. No name calling and negative profiling of Sen. Orji will make him governor of Abia State.