Again, weep not for Alex Otti

 

• The Joke is on INEC, the Judiciary and the Slave Runners in Abia

 

BY DODO OKAFOR

May I begin by commending as I have done severally in the past, the dogged determination of the APGA governorship candidate in Abia state in the last election – Mr Alex Otti – in leading the most effective campaign geared towards liberating Abia from the stranglehold of Satan worshipping political actors in the state.

No matter what anyone thinks, I doff my hat for Dr Otti for remaining resolute in his conviction that Abia deserves a whole lot better than the trio of Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu have collectively offered the state in the last 20+ years.

Like millions of Abians, Otti is convinced that residents of Aba and Umuahia deserve fresh air when they walk through the streets or drive through the major roads in the cities. He has refused to accept the falsehood that the best we can get in the name of road construction are poorly resurfaced roads that are quickly washed away by the rain after a few weeks.

Unlike previous opposition politicians in our state, Otti has refused to be compromised nor permitted himself to be bought over, remaining adamant in his belief that it is economic injustice of the highest order to spend more than N5 billion on the ridiculous structure misnamed Osisioma flyover in Aba.

When other politicians feel unconcerned with the plight of Abia workers and pensioners most of who have surrendered to the cold hands of death owing to the wicked refusal of the Okezie Ikpeazu administration to pay them their legitimate entitlements, it took an Alex Otti to bring the matter to the consciousness of the nation.  Ditto for when the state governor sought to plunge the state into an ocean of meaningless debts. Imagine what could have been of the state if not for his ability to speak up and raise key questions at critical moments.

Many who have studied opposition politics in Nigeria know too well that it is a game of opportunism, something to latch unto when your economic interest in the ruling party is not protected. The regular opposition politician in Nigeria returns to the ruling party the minute he extracts a good deal from those with unrestricted access to state resources.

But Mr Otti is not your regular fly-by-night opposition element. He is definitely not looking to win contracts from the Ikpeazu administration.  He is not seeking appointment for his sons and daughters and is definitely not asking for a refuse disposal or revenue collection deal. He has shown in and out of the season of politics that he is deeply committed to changing the prevailing narrative of pervasive poverty and aborted development in Abia state.

He could have quietly retreated to his shell after the charade that was misnamed elections in March last year but he insisted on leaving nothing to chance in challenging what he believed was a process deliberately orchestrated to produce failure.

Like millions of progressive Abians, I am glad that Mr Otti took the matter all the way to the Supreme Court even when he must have had nagging suspicion about the ability of the Judiciary to serve justice in a matter that was as glaring as daylight.

He knew that posterity would be eager to know what he did next after the electoral process was manipulated at the fields. His going to all the way to the Supreme Court would absolve him of all charges of duplicity or complicity in the tragedy playing out in Abia.

I sympathise with those mocking him for embarking on a journey with less than 10% chances of success. Rather than mock a man who does not need to work or sweat to attend to his needs, I would advise these individuals to settle down and take a minute to think about Abia and the future of our children.

Is the education system we have in Abia state today worthy of our future? Are we not ashamed to be living in a state that has become the butt of beer parlour jokes and banters in nearly every part of Nigeria?

Are we not embarrassed that a man who has nothing to lose is fighting our battles while you and I whose parents have not been paid in months stand idly by and watch? How can a young man be singing the praises of a man owing his biological father 24 months pension arrears?

Otti does not spend his waking hours at Isi Gate Umuahia. Touts employed as task force agents won’t hound him or destroy his goods in Aba, he would not be subjected to extortion by hooligans in Umuahia and so why do you think he is the loser in the charade that played out at the Supreme Court today?

It is about time we began to think about Abia and the run of plagues in the state. If you do not know it now, may it be made clear to you that every other state in southern Nigeria including Ebonyi has since left Abia behind.

May I conclude by telling you this for free: even in a hundred tenures, a million Okezie Ikpeazus will have no answer to the endless catalogue of plagues afflicting the state.

Interestingly, Alex Otti is by no means the biggest victim.  The real sufferers of the mess are the same people who for pecuniary reasons continue to hail an emperor who is currently dancing starkly naked at the market square.

 

…On Alex Otti, The Joke is on You

BY HONEST MUNACHISO OFFOR

Weep not for him. He had already lost and had nothing more to lose by trying to fight till the end. He may not be governor but what does a governor enjoy that he cannot afford? His stately mansion in Nvosi is better than the pen that is the Government House in Umuahia. His palatial edifice in Arochukwu is grander than the government chalet in Aba.

His father, Dee Laz, has long died and so has his mother. Even if they were alive, they won’t depend on government pension for their daily sustenance. His children are receiving the best education and none of them will graduate to NPower jobs. He’s not the one that is stuck at Osisioma junction because a simple flyover has become rocket science. He’s not the one that endures the stench of “unevacuated” refuse.

When he was approaching the courts, he knew it could swing either way, but he refused to be deterred by the possibility of failure. He didn’t get to the summit of his career by playing safe and fearing failure.

The experience of 2015 was not enough to dampen his zeal and discourage him from playing in a terrain that was anything but fair. He resigned his job and staked his earnings only to be denied the prize at the finishing line. Those before him made a fortune selling out but what he lost in fortune, he gained in reputation. It will never be written of him that he did nothing or that he was part of the men who despoiled our land.

Those who think he’ll give up, certainly misread his resolve for change. He has been attacked for speaking out, maligned for standing for the truth and disparaged for pursuing his dreams. He is persistent, resilient and dogged. Those are attributes to be proud of. Those who say he is desperate are dense and ignorant.

The jokes you tell here can’t get to him. The insults you throw around won’t be seen by him. You are yet to realise that he plays in a league where your silly banters cannot reach. He doesn’t see your memes and poorly constructed missives. You can go on humouring yourself and your paymasters who enjoy inanities.

• From Honest Munachiso Offor’s Facebook wall