Sequel to the recent Supreme Court reaffirmation of the victory of Dr Alex Otti as the fifth democratically elected Governor of Abia State, the governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 election, Prof Gregory Ibe has joined in felicitating the governor on his triumph.
Speaking through a personally signed press statement released in Umuahia on Monday, Prof Ibe enjoined the governor to leverage the final determination of all political and legal contentions in his favour to recommit himself to the task of “zealously serving Abians in honesty, decency and transparently, with the motive of making God’s own state truly number one”.
Part of the statement reads thus, “Recall that sequel to the announcement of your election victory on 21 March 2023, I promptly issued a congratulatory press statement felicitating you for achieving the feat of successfully championing the crystalization and manifestation of the long awaited dream of leadership change in our dear state.
Continuing, he said, ” While congratulating you in that release, I passionately appealed to other governorship candidates to avoid the temptation of further contesting your victory in the election tribunal to enable you hit the ground running. Unfortunately, both PDP and APC candidates decided to ignore my appeal and subsequently headed to the election petition tribunal. Failing to succeed in their bids, they would later proceed to the Court of Appeal and thereafter to the Supreme Court”.
In conclusion he said, “My dear Governor, now that the judiciary has finally revalidated your electoral victory, on behalf of the APGA family in Abia state, I wish to formally congratulate you and thereby seize the opportunity to request you to recommit yourself afresh to the task of zealously serving Abians in honesty, decency and transparently, with the motive of making God’s own state truly number one. Going forward, let me also advocate the adoption of participatory democracy, while encouraging all hands, winners and losers, to come on deck as everyone brings his ‘A’ game in our voyage to the Cape of a brand new Abia”.
In what has been described as a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court had on Friday last week reaffirmed the victory of Dr Alex Otti in the Abia state governorship election of 18 March 2023.
Sleek Ogwo,ANIPR
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