As he continues with consultations on whether he should join the governorship race in Abia State, the Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Alex Otti, is coming under intense pressure to take the plunge.

THISDAY learnt that some pressure groups and even traditional rulers have been working on the banker to join the governorship race on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to break from the political mould in the choice of chief executive.

Already, the Diamond Bank CEO has extended his consultations to the state leadership of the PDP when he visited the party’s secretariat on August 13 and told the members of the executive council that zoning of the governorship ticket would not serve the best interest of the state.

Leading the campaign to draft Otti into the governorship contest is a group known as Abia First 2015 Project composed of well meaning Abians with the conviction that come 2015 “there must be improvement in governance.”

The Head of Media and Publicity of Abia First Project, Chief Nwaka Inem, told journalists at the weekend in Umuahia that there was no doubt that the incumbent governor, Chief Theodore Orji, and his predecessors had done their best but expectations of Abians are still high hence the need for improvement.

He said the group and other concerned Abians had analysed the qualities and capacities of the people angling to succeed Governor Orji and only Otti met the requirement based on the fact that he possessed the capacity, contact and will power to pilot the affairs of Abia.

“We are telling Otti that if he has done so well for Diamond Bank in the corporate world, he can also do it well for Abia State in governance,” Nwaka said, pointing out that Otti had posted an enviable record by pushing his bank from number 13 to four in just two years.

According to him, it was high time a technocrat was given the opportunity to govern Abia and with the abundant human resources “we are very sure that we can harness the best of them in the corporate world” to preside over the affairs of Abia come 2015.

“We are clamouring for a new leader with different orientation and approach to governance,” he said, adding, “If we’ve tried typical politician, if we’ve typical trader, and if we’ve tried typical civil servant, then we must try a technocrat to give us a different approach in governance.”

The Abia First spokesman faulted the Abia PDP decision on zoning the governorship ticket to Abia South, saying that the ruling party should not sacrifice Abia for zoning, adding that the reality on ground would eventually determine its workability.

Meanwhile, a group, the Independent Peace Campaigners for Good Governance (IPCGG), has lauded the zoning of the PDP governorship position to Abia South senatorial district

The group said it had observed with keen interest the political development in the state just as the race for the state gubernatorial election gets closer.

A statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, the group, said: “Consequently, the forum with all other well meaning citizens of the state who have shown enormous interest lend their support to both the governor and state chapter of PDP on this fair and equitable decision to zone the governorship position to the district.”

While expressing support for the governor and the party, the group urged the committee of elders recently set up by Orji to advise him on a credible candidate fit to take over the reign in 2015, “to be upright in choosing for us a man of integrity who will serve the state very well, maintain the legacy programmes of this current administration and possibly take it to the next level.”

IPCGG however posited that any attempt to recycle the old and non performing politicians who have for a long time dominated the centre stage without anything to show for it should be discouraged.

It suggested that there must be a clean break from situation no matter the extent of influence any group would have on the committee materially or financially, it must be resisted.

IPCGG also declared that they were aware of some “elements opposed to the zoning of the governorship position to Abia South senatorial district and as such, demand that such persons should respect the decision of the governor and the party without further fuse.”

This however, according to the group is the only way equity and fairness would be guaranteed.

“We will also use every available peaceful and legal means to oppose any move by anyone or group against this good decision,” it said.



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/diamond-bank-boss-under-pressure-to-join-guber-race/187302/