The incumbent Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu has congratulated the Labour Party candidate and winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state, Alex Otti.
This was contained in a statement issued, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Otti as the winner of the election.
Mr. Ikpeazu described the LP candidate as someone, who fought battle for a very long period, noting that he should be commended for his staying power and resilience.
The governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party appealed to all Otti’s opponents, including his party’s candidate, Okey Ahiwe not to distract the incoming governor with court cases.
Otti, who won 10, out of the 17 local government areas in the state, polled a score of 175,467 votes, defeating his major opponents in the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahiwe and Enyinnaya Nwafor of the Young Peoples Party, who polled 88,529 votes, and 28,972 votes, respectively.
However, Mr. Otti. won on his third attempt. He was the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in the 2015 and 2019 elections.
The incumbent governor in a state signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, stated that the governor-elect must see his victory as a higher call to service, to the people of Abia State.
While saluting other candidates, who partook in the election, especially the PDP candidate, for their doggedness, Ikpeazu urged them not to distract the incoming governor with court cases.
“Having myself spent about three and half years in different courts and having experienced firsthand, the distraction such cases can cause a leader, I appeal to every candidate in this election not to distract the incoming administration with court cases, so that they will settle down and deal with the very demanding business of governance.”
“Let us break this negative trend of subjecting our Governors to endless litigations and allow them to concentrate on providing good governance,” he stated.
However, he assured the governor-elect of a peaceful transition, noting that all necessary things would be put in place, to make the process seamless for him.
