Abia State chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has disowned her governorship candidate in the 2015 and 2019 elections, Dr Alex Otti, claiming he was suspended from the party since last year and should therefore not speak for APGA.
This comes as the state chapter of APGA has passed a vote of confidence on the governor of Anambra State and leader of the party, Chief Willie Obiano, and the national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Ike Oye, for the able way they have been piloting the affairs of APGA.
Addressing journalists in Umuahia on Monday, the state working committee of the party led by its chairman, Rev Augustine Ehiemere, cast aspersions on Otti for alleging that Obiano and Oye were responsible for the crisis that bedevilled the party in the state.
The party said instead of accusing the national leadership of the party of being responsible for whatever crisis he envisaged in the state chapter of APGA, it was Otti that was rather to be blamed.
‘Therefore, the party is never perturbed by the news making the rounds on Alex Otti. To put the records straight, APGA suspended him and as we speak, he is never an APGA member and the document suspending him from the party is already in the public domain.
‘For purposes of the record and for clarity sake, there has never been any crisis in APGA except the self-induced crisis that was sponsored by Alex Otti in 2016 wherein he sponsored several dissidents in the party to cause the crisis, but all failed,’ he said.
Ehiemere said APGA in Abia has come out stronger as a party and has remained resolute and ever ready to restore the rights and dignity of Abians come 2023 by electing a credible and people-oriented governor of Abia State.
‘APGA has come to stand with its two legs in Abia and nobody will stop that; evil governance will end in Abia in 2023,’ Ehiemere said.
