Alex Otti, governor of Abia, has advised his political
opponents to join him in developing the state.
On Friday, the election tribunal dismissed the petition
filed by Okey Ahiwe, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), against
the victory of Otti.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had
declared Otti, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), as winner of the March 18
election.
Otti polled 175,466 votes to defeat Ahiwe who scored 88,529
votes.
In a statement issued on Saturday to celebrate his victory
at the tribunal, Otti expressed his gratitude to the residents of the state for
their unwavering support during and after the election.
The governor asked his opponents to save themselves the financial
burden of appealing the tribunal’s verdict. He advised that they should instead
use the money to help their communities.
“My advice to my opponents is that this is a good time to
sheathe their swords and join hands with me to develop our state, Abia,” the
statement reads.
“Anyhow you slice and
dice it, it costs a lot of money to engage in litigation.
“While I will not ask them to bring the money to me, I would
advise that each of them have villages that are dilapidating, without roads,
without water and I believe that their communities will appreciate it if they
would channel those resources into building roads in their villages and
communities.
“If you follow the election and everything that happened
thereafter, you will know that quite frankly, this victory shouldn’t have been
contested in the first place, but then, I also do not deny my opponents their
rights to go to court.”
The governor also thanked the jurists and “all those who
ensured that justice prevailed in the end”.
Otti said he is committed to improving the living standards
of residents through the provision of social amenities and infrastructure.
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