Gov Otti Marginalizing, Humiliating Ukwa/Ngwa – APC Chieftain

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Abia State, High Chief Sylvanus Nwaji, has accused the State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, of gross marginalization of Ukwa na Ngwa people.

This is just as he alleged that the Governor is now obsessed with the unwritten policy of enthroning “Aro” hegemony in the State.

The four-time Chairman of the oil rich Ukwa-west Council of the State, also, called on all the traditional rulers in Ukwa land and Community leaders to honourably resign their positions for conniving with the Abia State Government to marginalize, deprive and divide their people.

In an exclusive interview with The Source on Wednesday October,  30, 2024 ,Hon Nwaji described the recent unceremonious removal of the Vice. Chancellor of Abia State University ,Prof Onyemachi Ogbulu  as a clear evidence of Governor Otti’s resolve to marginalize and  humiliate Asa people and Ukwa-Na- Ngwa ethnic group of the State.

The Source reports that the  Abia State Government, on Monday, announced the removal of  Prof Ogbulu and others from office citing the recommendations of a visitation panel to the University as a major  reason.

But Chief Nwaji has rejected the Government’s claim that the  Vice Chancellor whose tenure will elapse next year was removed because of his conflicting interest as traditional ruler and Vice Chancellor.

“This is absolutely baseless in the sense that the Government is clutching on a non existent matter to carry out its marginalization plan against the people of Asa and Ukwa-Na- Ngwa group of the state .

“For the record, since the creation of Abia in 199, it is only in the last few years that the position of the VC was allowed to come to the Abia South Senatorial Zone.

“The removal of the VC was well orchestrated to pave way for the  enthronement of Aro hegemonic agenda in the state .

“I know what I am talking about . Everybody in the State is aware that the sacked VC was one of the best in the history of the University.

“But they have to remove him to make way for Aro person like the Governor from Old Bende Division of the State. And that was exactly what happened.

“All over the State now, what the Governor is busy doing is to be going. round the entire South East region, gathering his Aro people around Government positions in the State.

Meanwhile, this was a Governor people across all parts of the State came together irrespective of ethnic background and party affiliations to support and elect in 2023.

Even those of us from Abia South, Ukwa-Na -Ngwa people rejected our own former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to the extent he was not elected as a  Senator.

“But today, what Governor Otti is doing is to  treat  us like second class citizens of Abia State. Prof Ogbulu from Asa, in Ukwa East, in  Ukwa-Na-Ngwa land was removed  and replaced with someone from Aro in Old Bende. This has been the trend since Governor came in .

“All the talk about Prof Ogbulu being a traditional ruler, and at the same time being Vice Chancellor is just a smokescreen to validate  a clear ethnically-induced action” Nwaji stated .

Regrettably, he noted that despite Governor Otti’s clear agenda of marginalizing and humiliating the people of Asa who are the reason Abia is today answering an oil bearing State, community leaders and traditional rulers are  backing the Government in its agenda of humiliating and dividing the people.

” Over the years, the only mouth piece of the people against oppression, marginalization and deprivation, has been the Asa Development Union, ADU ,and to some extent the traditional institutions .

“As the the only oil bearing Council in the State, we have endured untold neglect, deprivation and exploitation in the hands of successive administrations, who are only interested in the 13% oil derivation from the area .

“But despite the suppression,the Community and Traditional leaders before now had managed to defend the people.

“All those seem to have gone with the present crop of Traditional Rulers and leaders of the Asa Development Union . They have regrettably become Government appendages and parastatals.

“People that are supposed to be neutral have become card carrying members and campaign coordinators of the Labour party .

“In the forthcoming so- called Local Government Polls in the State , the Traditional Rulers and Community leaders have all mortgaged their conscience and are now conniving with the Government to subvert the age- long power sharing agreement among the people..

:For conniving with Governor Otti in distablizing and creating  disharmony among our people, I am calling on the. Traditional Rulers in Ukwa West and the leadership of the Asa People to honourably resign.

“They no longer have the moral authority to be called Royal fathers of all. They have chosen to serve Governor Otti and Labour party and their newly adopted Zenith Labour Party and no longer the people.

“We don’t have any trust in them any longer. Worst of all, some of the so-called leaders, besides helping the Governor to make nonsense of the power-sharing agreement, went as far as requesting N20 million from the ZLP Candidate who the Governor picked outside the rightful group for the Chairmanship position so that they will appease the aggrieved session of the Community” Nwaji said.

Further speaking ,the former House of Representative Candidate in the 2023 elections accused  Governor Otti’s administration in the state of being deceitful and insincere in his dealings with the people.

According to him, the enthusiasm and huge expectations that heralded the election of the Governor have evaporated.

“I must confess that we are deeply regretting our choice in 2023. The reason is not far-fetched. Governor Otti has be ungrateful  to the people for the huge and unprecedented support they gave him.

“Like I said earlier in Asa, Ukwa and Ngwa land, we rejected the former Governor Ikpeazu and the PDP, because we wanted a positive change ,

“But unfortunately, the same problems are still facing our people, even at a worse level. The former Governor came to collect several hectares of our land under the guise of building Enyimba Economic City .In the end ,nothing happened.

“Now, Governor Otti has come to collect another humongous parcel of land under the guise of building Abia Industrial and Innovative Park.

“After the initial braggadocio, they have removed all the equipment they brought there. Now, what has changed between the past administration and the one headed by Governor Otti?

“The only change is that the present administration has raised  the bar in terms of financial recklessness, deceit and insincerity.

“There is nothing that is being done in Abia now without controversy.There is much more division and hatred in the State. You must be an Aro person or, at worst, old Bende to be considered for any position.

“There is so much arrogance and know-it-all in the governance space of Abia. Yet, some people that call themselves traditional  rulers, community leaders, and even some religious leaders are clapping for the all knowing Emperor”, the APC chieftain stated.