“You Are Not Welcome Into Our Fold”, APC Abia State Tells Governor Otti

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The All Progressive Congress, APC, Abia State Chapter,  has voiced its opposition to any plans by State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to join the party either now ,or in the future.

The party  described the Abia State Governor as a liability not welcome into its fold.

The Source reports that like in most Southern states of the Country , speculations have been rife that Governor Otti may be considering defecting to the APC alongside most of his counterparts from the region in the countdown to the 2027 general elections.

But at a Media Briefing in Abuja  on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, the Abia State stakeholders of the APC under the aegis of “The Abia Best Interest Association”, noted that nobody in the party in the state is willing.to dine with Governor Otti.

Convener of the Forum, Eze Chikamnayo, the immediate past Commissioner for Information under the Dr Okezie Ikpeazu-led Peoples Democratic party, PDP, administration, also accused Governor  Otti of undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to him, the Abia State Governor has been  working against the interest  of the President  while at the same time creating the impression that he is supporting  him as a friend.

This is as he lamented the abysmal level of development, in the state , despite over N 300 billion which has accrued to Abia from President Tinubu’s reforms.

“As we speak, over N300 billion has come from President Tinubu’s reforms into the coffers of the Abia State Government, but all the 17 Local Government Areas of the state are presently grounded, castrated and completely insolvent.

“We don’t want him (Governor Otti) to join APC, and we are not ready to receive such a liability into our party. That is what we are saying.

“Nobody in Abia APC wants anything called Alex Otti. He is a liability”, Chikamnayo stated.

The former PDP chieftain expressed concern over the way and manner Abia State resources are being managed under the Governor Otti administration.

“In fact, we are wondering.why there are still nothing tangible on the ground to show for the huge resources accruing to the state particularly in the area of Education, unlike the situation in Imo and Enugu States where their Governments have rebuilt , modernized and equipped public schools with visible results for all to see .

“Here in Abia, we have been demanding to see the much-publicized schools which were purportedly renovated and retrofitted with N54 billion, as published in the Abia State Budget Performance Report of 2024.

“The world over, Budget Performance reports detailed accomplished projects and the actual amount spent. But in Abia State, under Governor Otti, that is not the case”, Chikamnayo noted .

The stakeholders, therefore, emphasized the need for Abians to separately and collectively interrogate how the humongous allocations and various intervention funds accruing to the state from the Federation Accounts and Federal Government are being spent.