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Otti is direct opposite of Obi – Ikpeazu *LP candidate wants to set Abia ablaze – PDP
Okezie Ikpeazu, Ikpeazu, Abia State Governor, has dismissed the insinuation that the Labour Party would replicate the same momentum in Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections, saying voters in the state were aware that the character traits of Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the LP, and that of Alex Otti, the governorship candidate were diametrically opposed to each other, because they were both different individuals.
Maintaining that Otti, has no similarities in character with Obi, Ikpeazu, told reporters in Aba, that while Obi was noted for his modest, frugal and simple lifestyle, the LP candidate in the state was the direct opposite, adding that many Abia voters were aware that the two did not share the same or even similar schools of thought.
He also said that the move by Otti and the LP in the state to capitalise on what has been described as the “Obi Political Tsunami” to capture the Abia Government House would fail because the people were aware that Otti was different from the former governor of Anambra State in all ramifications, arguing that the Obi phenomenon must not be narrowed down to the efforts of LP.
He stressed that doing so would diminish the huge efforts put in by several angry Nigerians and first-time voters, who were not members of any political party but found a credible candidate in Obi, who they were willing to put allow to be the pilot of their new nation, adding that it was now unfortunate that many people, who ordinarily would stand no chance of clinching any political position because of their bad character and poor relationship with the people, were hiding under Obi to bamboozle their way to power and calls for caution.
He said: “In Abia, our people know that Obi is not Otti. They know that both of them represent different things altogether. Their records are there. Obi, as a governor did not retrench Anambra workers, but Otti as a bank Managing Director retrenched bank workers. Obi is not arrogant. He is a very simple man with a very humble lifestyle but Otti is the opposite of Obi. He flies around in private jets and takes up entire floors of 7-Star Hotels for his accommodation. That’s a huge gap from the man he’s hiding under him to grab power.
“Again, it’s on record that Obi left the economy of Anambra very healthy but Otti left a dead bank before moving into politics. These are verifiable facts. That one claims to look like someone doesn’t mean he’s even close to that person. Abia is not one of those places where people cannot distinguish the good from the bad. It’s very easy to separate this chaff from the wheat before they get matured because their differences are very obvious like the night and the day.
“What are we talking about? Who are they trying to compare with Obi? Let us make it very clear that while Obi canvases for job creation, this Otti knows about the collapse of companies like Modern Ceramics in Umuahia and the Star Paper Mills in Aba that led to job losses. Another contrast between Obi and Otti is that Obi has his investments scattered all over Anambra State while Otti has no single investment in Abia State.
“Let nobody claim ownership of the Obi wave or try to be more important than others. It was a movement that all Nigerian citizens, especially the youths saw as the only way of restoring their future. Labour Party was just an available channel.
“The Obi phenomenon was a combination of all pro-Obi servant leadership styles, it was not a feat that can be attributed to the Labour Party per se. 50 per cent of the voters were apolitical first-time voters, while 30 per cent were drawn from all other political parties.
“It will diminish the Obi phenomenon if we narrow his impact to the effort of the Labour Party. So, let some people stop hiding under Obi to magically get into government. Let them come out as they are. Obi has proven who he is and he doesn’t need an introduction anymore.”
Speaking in similar vein, the Director of Strategic Engagement for Abia PDP campaign Council, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, frowned at the attempt by Otti to appropriate the electoral success of Obi in the South East, saying: “Recall that Peter Obi’s campaign and sympathy in the south is based on the fact that many feel that South East has not been favored in the power equation in Nigeria. While Peter believes in political inclusion, hence his Christian South vs Muslim North ticket, Otti is determined to set Abia ablaze by foisting Abia North-Abia North ticket in flagrant disregard for inclusion. He is from Arochukwu and his running mate is from Ohafia, both in Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency. Otti cannot be Obi and Obi is certainly different from Otti. Abia voters, who know the difference between Obi and Otti will surely vote for PDP on Saturday as they will also like to preserve the existing socio-political peace in the state.”
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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