Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has urged Abians to collectively protect the progress his administration has already achieved in the state, saying that the state must not be allowed to return to the old order.
Otti spoke on Sunday, during the State Conference of Aba North Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Okpulu- Umuobo, Aba, advising against any attempt to reverse the current developmental trajectory made by his administration.
Otti, who described his emergence in 2023 as an act of divine intervention, said his administration was on a “divine journey to rebuild the state and reposition it for sustainable development”, and urged residents of the state to continue to support his visionary leadership “capable of sustaining the momentum of development beyond this tenure.”
The governor further emphasised that future leaders of the state would face greater expectations from the people, noting that governance in Abia must never return to what he described as the “old order”.
“So anyone who makes an attempt to take us back, we will not allow it. And it’s not about me; it’s about all of us”, Otti said.
The governor noted that his administration has restored the dignity and pride of Abians by reversing years of poor governance, neglect and negative public perception associated with the state, adding that one of the major reasons he ventured into politics was the embarrassment and sympathy he constantly encountered whenever he identified himself as an indigene of Abia State.
Otti noted that before he became the governor in 2023, Abians were often viewed with pity across the country because of the s poor condition and leadership failures of the state.
“That was the choice that we made. And then I said, no, we can’t continue to like this. So we left what we were doing to come and see if we could rescue the state”.
According to Otti, the restoration of confidence and respect for Abians remains the greatest achievement of his administration and he added that his administration would continue extending developmental projects to rural communities and hinterlands that had long been neglected.
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