Controversial assassination attempt unsettles Abia State...group calls for probe

Emeka Ibemere

The controversial dust raised by the alleged attempt to assassinate the APGA gubernatorial candidate at the last concluded Abia State election, Alex Otti is yet to die down, as interest groups continue to mount pressure on the security agencies to go all hug in investigating the alleged attempted murder of Otti, who is in the tribunal to reclaim his mandate, five months after the election was won and loss.

A Coalition of Abia and Southeast Pressure Groups, which comprises over 50 Groups including Abia Renewal Front, ARF, Abia League of Professionals, ALP, Abia Mandate, AM, Southeast Development Agenda, SEDA, Eastern Mandate Group, EMG, Save Abia Now, SAN, Abia Youth Congress, AYC, and Reclaim Abia Agenda, RAA, and others have condemned the alleged assassination attempt to the life of Dr. Alex Otti, the APGA’s gubernatorial candidate at the last concluded Abia State governorship election.

Addressing a World Press Conference in Abuja on Monday, the Spokespersons for the groups, Comrade Kelechi Nkworie and Barrister, Sylvanus Nnadozie condemned the barbaric action describing it as a calculated attempt by highly placed persons in the state to remove the life of the gentleman knowing full well what will be the outcome of the election tribunal result going on in the State.

The Coalition also condemned the recent media publication by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, controlled government in the state and wondered why the government is crying more than the bereaved by holding a press conference on the incident by exonerating itself and citing the source of the attack, while the security agencies are still investigating the case to find out the source or sponsors of the ill fated attack. The group described the state government’s action as been hasty and doing the work of the security agencies.

The Group also faulted the media houses for publishing the story without proper investigation, as their conduct negates the ethics of the profession, which tend to uphold and promote the practice of investigative journalism globally.

“We want to ask, who want to take the life of Dr. Alex Otti, who are the sponsors of this heinous crime, Why is the PDP controlled government in the state crying more than the bereaved, and what is the government hiding or intend to protect in this heinous act,” the group queried.

“Why has the state government taken over the work of the security agencies by citing the incident as an armed robbery attack and politicizing this criminal act and why the hasty press briefing?”

However, the group pointed that they expect the Inspector General of Police to come with a statement on the matter in the course of their investigation, before the media could report it in their various media houses as outcome of the police investigation instead of politicizing the serious matter as being done by the state government.

 “We are taking about an assassination attempt on a personality life and death of a security man. Human lives are sacred,” the Group asserted.

The group decried the level of smear campaign of calumny against the APGA Candidate for raising an alert on attempt to his life as wiping public sentiment which he did not do even when his supporters and followers were bluntly assaulted and their properties vandalized by the agents of the opposition party during the gubernatorial election campaign and rallies in the state.

 The Group pointed out that the assassination attempt at Dr. Alex Otti and loss of life of his security agent is a serious criminal offence that must not be swept under the carpet, adding that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Department of State Security Service (DSS), and other relevant agencies to investigate and fish out the perpetrators of the alleged heinous crime, as their activities in the state capital is capable of creating a serious security breakdown in the city, which is believed to be safe and peaceful.

Meanwhile, the Coalition has commiserated with the family of the slain police officer and prays for the repose of his soul.

 “He will be remembered and immortalized as the struggle of liberating Abia state from the clutches of undemocratic forces and family oligarchy,” the group stated.

Save Abia Now is a political pressure group committed to reclaim Abia State from the undemocratic forces and bad Leadership occasioned by the alleged maladministration of PDP controlled government in Abia state, which has impoverished the people and charting the common of the People leaving the state as one of the lest developed state across the country. Save Abia Now, SAN, comprises of committed professionals, scholars, political analysts, social commentators, and rights activists who are determined to make the change through constructive engagement and education of Abians, who are concerned to restore the glory of the state.

It would be recalled that the All Progressive Grand Alliance had tasked the President Muhammadu Buhari, to probe what it described as election frauds in Abia State when he assumes office on May 29. APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, made the call with the party’s governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, in Umuahia, rejecting the result of the poll and vowed that the party would challenge it at the election petitions tribunal. “While other parts of the country are celebrating democracy, the Independent National Electoral Commission used the South-East for experiment,” he alleged. 

Umeh alleged that both the April 11 governorship poll and the April 25 re-run in Abia State were marred by irregularities. He accused the INEC of colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party to rig the poll in favour of PDP’s candidate. He expressed shock that INEC ignored APGA’s earlier call for the outright cancellation of the controversial results from three Local Government Areas on April 11 poll, but instead reinstated the cancelled results.

 “The controversy that was generated by the Returning Officer in restating the election results he had cancelled in Obingwa, Osisioma and Isialangwa North, necessitated APGA’s  earlier call for the cancellation of the out of the reality figures from the affected councils.”

Umeh had insisted that INEC ought to have sustained the cancellation of the results from the three council areas as it did in Imo State in 2011, alleging that; “even the rerun was held under incoherent preparations as, details of polling units, where election was to hold, remained speculative.”

He claimed that the election was won by APGA but manipulated in favour of PDP, vowing to head to the tribunal to seek redress.

“APGA rejects the result of the poll as announced not because we cannot lose election but can accept losing election through credible process. We won the election clearly but our mandate was stolen. Accordingly, we will not resort to self help; we will challenge the result at the tribunal “, he vowed. He promised that APGA would firmly stand by Otti until he reclaims his stolen mandate. Umeh said Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has restated his commitment to ensuring that Otti gets justice.

Otti thanked Abians for their massive support for him and appealed to them to remain calm and prayerful as he heads for the tribunal.

“Election has come and gone but the battle has just started. Evil cannot prevail over good but if it seems to prevail, it is only for a while. Weeping can only endure for a night, joy comes in the morning. We will not resort to brigandage because two wrongs cannot make a right,” Otti said.

He alleged that voters were intimidated and scared from the polling units by coffins paraded in Aba on the eve of the election by suspected PDP sympathisers. Otti said the rerun was fraudulently cancelled in Umunneochi council under questionable circumstances after it had been listed by INEC, and accused the electoral umpire of complicity.