Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Labour Party has said that it had uncovered plots by some anti-democratic forces to scuttle the swearing in of the Abia Governor-Elect, Dr Alex Otti, and set up an interim government in the state.
According to the Labour Party which won the March 18 governorship poll in the state, masterminds of the plot are desperately shopping for a kangaroo court order to stop Otti’s inauguration on May 29.
The party accused those behind last Friday’s purported voiding of Otti’s candidacy by a Kano federal high court, of also sponsoring the latest plot.
LP in a press statement jointly signed by its State Publicity Secretary , Njoku Jerry Ajike; and Otti’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, pointed accusing fingers at the Abia State Government, PDP, and a certain chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The statement which warned that the “sponsored acts of treason against Abia shall have severe consequences,” vowed never to allow the people’s mandate to Otti stolen from the backdoor by usurpers.
A copy of the statement made available to Ikengaonline read: “The Abia Labour Party and the Governor-Elect, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, have uncovered yet another treasonable plot by agents of Abia State Government on one hand, and a chieftain of APC on the other, in connivance with some corrupt officials in INEC and the Judiciary to procure yet another tainted order from yet another court in the North purporting to have removed the Abia Governor-Elect, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR.
“The felons behind these heinous acts would then proceed to collect a “Certificate of Return” from their allies in INEC to create confusion on May 29.
“Certain individuals from Abia who are working assiduously in secrete with both the PDP/Abia State Government and the APC Chieftain respectively, just recently boasted that Abia would have an Interim Government led by a Judge. Large amount of money in foreign currency stolen from Abia treasury has been set aside for this exercise.
“While we make bold to tell these enablers of anarchy that their plot is already doomed, we must also warn that these actions which represent a fulfillment of the threats made by agents of Abia State Government to make the state ungovernable over their defeat at the last elections, would have severe consequences should the perpetrators refuse to stop and give peace a chance.
“It’s strange that the same elements who had since gone to the Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election are no longer confident in following the route provided by the law, but have rather resorted to impunity that would disrupt the peace and security of our people and our state.
“Finally, the Abia Governor-Elect, Dr. Alex Otti and his party, the Labour Party wish to reassure Abians once again, that the divine mandate unanimously given to him and his party by Abians remains sacrosanct, safe and secure; and that under no circumstance would these civilian coupists and criminal usurpers and interlopers be allowed to steal it.”
Attempts to get reactions from the Abia State Government, the PDP as well as the APC were unsuccessful as the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnayo, did not pick calls put across to him.
Similarly, the APC Chairman, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, did not pick calls put across to his phone, while the Acting Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Amah Abraham, could not be accessed as his lines were not connecting at all.
