Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has appeared to have snubbed the chieftains of his party, the Labour Party, in the selection of political offices in his cabinet.
According to The Eagle, Otti is at war with opposition leaders in the state that supported and worked for his victory during the March 18 governorship election.
Before his inauguration, Otti had reportedly stated that he was not ready to work with known political names in the state, including members of his party, a position that manifests in some of the appointments he has made so far.
Sources in LP who accused Otti of running the state as a sole administrator disclosed that Otti appointed key members of cabinet including his Chief of Staff, SSG and Special Advisers without the input of the state party’s leadership.
Most recently is the list of the 19 Commissioner nominees to the rubber-stamp Abia State House of Assembly, which he did with no input from LP state leadership and some of the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance and All Progressives Congress members, on whose support he rode to victory.
It was exclusively gathered that the two Federal lawmakers from Isiala North and South LGAs respectively, Senator Darlington Nwokocha (Senator representing Abia Central) and the member representing Isiala Ngwa North/South in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe; who were both elected on the LP platform, who had gone to remind Otti the damage his action was having on Abians and the party, Otti was said to have reminded them that they rode on his (Otti’s) popularity to win their elections.
Otti was said to have gone ahead to tell both federal lawmakers that he was not ready to work with them; that they should concentrate and mind their businesses in the national assembly and forget about the state.
It was gathered that to the surprise of some PDP, APGA, and APC chieftains who supported Otti against their party candidates, Otti refused to honor recommendations made by them.
The publication also reported that the former MD of the defunct Diamond Bank ignored nominations by the family of the former Governor of the State, Senator Theodore Ahamefule Orji.
A Commissioner nominee from Senator Orji, Prof Udochukwu Ogbonna and Danny Ubannie popularly called Manja who was nominated by Senator Darlington were outrightly rejected by Otti.
Otti was said to have also ignored nominations that came from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chief Uche Ogah and Prof. Greg Ibe.
