THE SEVEN STRIKING SHOTS (SSS) THAT KILLED DR ALEX OTI'S 2015 GOVERNORSHIP DREAM IN ABIA STATE.

By Woko, Eze Icon. 16th April, 2016.

Democracy as opined by Robert Byrne is "being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least". In Abia State 2015 Governorship election, the choice was beyond "like and dislike" as the people thoroughly searched for the candidate they are sure will deliver the dividends of democracy to them after long suffering and decayed infrastructure.

Abia State popularly known as "God's own state" has been a victim of its own political choice(s) before 2015. Sixteen years down the lane, nothing tangible to show. Just after the 2015 election, things have changed positively because the people (Abians) took time and made the right choice. The once dilapidated state is now having a taste of good governance.

According to Plato, "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferior". These words in marble by the great philosopher made me abandon all I was doing in the Western part of the country to Abia State for what we called "The Ngwa Cause" -- The Okezuoabia campaign.

During the election and campaign periods, I played active roles in support of Gov. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (PhD) and opposed Dr Alex Oti as you all can attest. I was convinced beyond every reasonable doubt that Gov. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu would deliver if elected. Thus, I pledged my support.

Abia State had many governorship candidates from different political parties, but the two main contenders were Gov. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (PhD) of PDP and Dr Alex Oti of APGA. They were all qualified for the position, had thousands of followers, and each with a clear chance of winning the seat. What happened then? What differentiated PDP from APGA in the race? That is what I call the seven striking shots.

Little by little they said the bird builds it's nest. The accumulation of little error amounted to mistakes, from mistakes to huge blunder. I will go ahead to list and briefly explain these little points that gave PDP the edge, but was the unmaking of APGA and Dr Alex Oti :

1. POLITICAL EXPERIENCE.

My people will always say that it is "Only the feet of the voyager that knows the path". Also, experience they say is the best teacher.

Dr Alex Oti is a renowned Banker who rose to the apex in the Nigerian banking industry. A former Executive director at First bank Nigeria Plc, and later, the Group Managing Director/CO at Diamond Bank Plc Nigeria. He was a guru in banking business but became a rookie when he switched to politics. He was not a match to his arch rival with regards to political experience. If you are a jack of all trade, then you are a master of none ! Dr Alex Oti came into the political arena after the 2011 general election, when he became a close ally to the then Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Ahamefula Orji with the aim of succeeding him in office, but the time was too short for him to gather the needed political experience Cum expertise. Thus, his inexperience played against him during the general election.

Meanwhile, Gov Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (PhD) is a seasoned academia who went into politics as far back as 2002 when he became the Transition Committee Chairman of Obingwa LGA. Since then, he has been on ground politically. He has been a sort after campaign manager for many aspirants on state and federal positions, and on each occasion has delivered his candidates. He knows the nitty-gritty of Abia politics, and this became an advantage to him in the 2015 general election.

2. WRONG PARTY, WRONG TIMING.

Those who know Abia State will agree with me that since 1999 till date, Abia state has been a one party state (a PDP state) except between 2007 to 2011 when the then governor was a member of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) but later came back to PDP. The state political architecture is run in a way that most political stakeholders depend on government patronage for survival. Therefore, Abia is not a fertile ground for opposition politics.

This was evidenced in 2003 (Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe--ANPP versus Dr Orji Uzor Kalu--PDP), 2007 (Chief Onyema Ugochukwu--PDP versus Chief Theodore Ahamefula Orji--PPA), and 2015 (Dr Alex Oti--APGA versus Gov Okezie Victor Ikpeazu--PDP) general elections. The party with the incumbent governor always win! Thus, APGA was a wrong party to contest with, little wonder then, Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah did not cross carpet to another political party when he lost the PDP Primary election.

Also, the timing of Dr Alex Oti's governorship ambition was very wrong. In Abia State politics, there is what we call the "Charter Of Equity".

This equity simply divides Abia State into three major political blocs : ABIA NORTH (Bende, Arochukwu, Ohafia, Umuneochi, and Isuikwuato), ABIA CENTRAL (Umuahia North, Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Ikwuano, Osisioma and Umuahia South), and ABIA SOUTH (Obingwa, Ugwunagbo, Aba North, Aba South, Ukwa East, and Ukwa West). Abia North had produced
governor for 8 years (Dr Orji Uzor Kalu - Bende LGA 1999 - 2007), Abia central had produced a governor for 8 years also (Sen. Theodore Ahamefula Orji - Umuahia North LGA 2007 - 2015), then, from the Abia charter of equity it was the turn of Abia South to produce the governor. This made Gov. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (from Obingwa LGA) a clear favourite. Dr Alex Oti is from Arochukwu LGA in Abia North (I will elaborate on this later in this article) which Dr Orji Uzor Kalu had represented. Thus, the timing of his governorship ambition was wrong.

3. POOR STRUCTURES.

I remember sometime around December 2014 when a friend asked me : "Icon what do you think of APGA and their chances of winning the governorship seat in Abia State"? I laughed but was quick to answer him:" My brother, you can never use 4 months to build au structure that can win you a governor seat in Nigeria ".

Till date, I still stand by that answer. Dr Alex Oti didn't have any convincing structure. He was still in PDP until 2 weeks after the PDP primaries. This left him with no time to build his own structure, rather, he relied on whatever structure his money could buy him within the available time. While Sen. Theodore Ahamefula Orji transfered the state (PDP) structure to Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, APGA had no visible structure in Abia state before the arrival of Dr Alex Oti. This is why no major political stakeholder in Abia State joined APGA.

While PDP could boost of grass root structures in all wards across the state, APGA could not.

4. EXCELLENT FINANCING BUT WEAK STRATEGIES

No doubt Dr Alex Oti packaged himself very well, it was widely believed that he had the connection and financial muscle to wrestle power out from PDP. If all these was true, what then happened? Why didn't APGA win? I believe weak political strategies played a significant role. Let me give some example.

When Dr Alex Oti secured the APGA gubernatorial ticket, he picked his deputy based on loyalty instead of political coverage. Dr Alex is from Arochukwu LGA, and his deputy (Mrs Uche Eme Uche) is from Arochukwu but married to a man in Ohafia LGA. Both are from the same Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency, and the same Abia North senatorial district. This was a poor political strategy, and to a good extent undermined his chances of bloc votes across the state.

On the other hand, Gov. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (from Obingwa LGA in Abia South senatorial district) picked his deputy from Nkporo, Ohafia LGA in Abia North senatorial district, he also supported a speaker from Isiala Ngwa which is in Abia Central Senatorial district.

This gave PDP a better coverage and support across the state on the detriment of APGA and Dr Alex Oti.

5. THE ERROR OF PATERNITY.

Dr Alex is a native of Atani in Arochukwu LGA of Abia State, he was born to the family of late Pastor and Mrs. Lazarus Weze Otti of Atani in Arochukwu LGA. At the time of his (Oti) birth (February 18, 1965) his parents where resident priest at Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) in Umuru, Umuehim village in Ehi Na Uguru Ancient Kingdom, Isiala Ngwa South LGA of Abia State. He grew up there in Isiala Ngwa, had his secondary school education at Ngwa High school, Aba and Secondary Technical School, Okpuala Ngwa, all in Abia State. That he grew up there in Isiala Ngwa does not make him an Ngwa indegen . Just like those Igbo sons daughters who are born and brought up in Lagos or elsewhere cannot be called Yoruba indigenes.

Before the 2015 general election, when it was clear from all indications that power was shifting to the Ukwa Ngwa political bloc (Abia South senatorial district in particular), Dr Alex hurriedly returned to Umuru Nvosi where he grew up, built a house (2013), and started claiming Ngwa indegen. He paid for and collected chieftaincy titles but all was clear politics (to deceive the gullible that he was from Ukwa Ngwa).

Nevertheless, it did not work for him because his identity as an "Aro Man" was clear and traceable. Even his mansion with the inscription "There is no place like home" boldly written in his home in Atani is there bearing witness against him. In Ngwa tongue I ask : "Eji nu agba nwoke ibe" (Do you give out a man on pledge)?

6. THE ROMANCE WITH BOURDILLON.

At the heat of the campaign, while the PDP was going about marketing Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu to the electorates, APGA and it's campaign team was busy telling Abians how Dangote, Tinubu, Arthur Eze and Co., have staked everything they have to make sure Dr Alex was delivered as the Governor of Abia State.

Nothing was hidden of his romance with the APC hierarchy especially after Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan lost his re-election bid.

This entanglement with APC sent the wrong and unwanted signal to the politically active Abians. This affected the APGA structure seriously especially during the supplementary elections.

7. PERSONALITY CHECK.

Here comes the last point but not the least. During the campaign and election periods, Dr Alex was flying all around the state with Helicopter. He wanted the people to believe he was excessively rich, and sent by God to "Change" Abia State, but this backfired.

While Dr Alex was busy flying on air, Dr Okezie and the "Okezuoabia" supporters were busy going to all the corners of the State to solicit for vote.

Dr Okezie humbled himself as a common man, and could be found even where you least expected. He became known in person to the people while his rival Dr Alex succeeded in making the people believe he was from an elite class. Because of this, a good number of people questioned he was going to run an elite-class government if elected. Thus, Gov Okezie Victor Ikpeazu became a choice. There was also a clear treat of desperateness in Dr Alex, this maybe brought him success in the banking industry, but was questionable in politics and contributed to his 2015 political failure.

I rest my pen. Feel free to add yours! Follow Woko, Eze Icon on Twitter @WokoIcon.

Source:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10204806068870280&id=1795106918&refid=17&_ft_=top_level_post_id.10204806068870280%3Atl_objid.10204806068870280%3Athid.1795106918%3A306061129499414%3A2%3A0%3A1462085999%3A-5359790443587876566&__tn__=%2As

Naija journalism. I even thought na the SSS self.

The people of Abia state wallowed in poor governance for 16 years and needed someone else. The fact that Ikpeazu was brought by T.A.Orji who messed Aboard state up for years, the people of abia never wanted him. The election was rigged. Left with free and fair election, Otti won ikpeazu with a big difference. The people didn't want to suffer another four years. the two Orjis messed Abia state up and Avian didn't want that to continue