ALEX OTTI’S TALES BY MOONLIGHT
I have just finished reading one funny Press Release by the Alex Otti Campaign Organization which followed a familiar pattern that has characterized the politics of Mazi Otti since he strayed into partisan politics and the confusion that has defined his brand of politics.
In what looks more like a concession speech, what the release succeeded in achieving was to create an alibi for Otti in his impending defeat in the coming elections.
The author of the release, one Kazie Uko, sounded more like a Students Union Activist who is totally ignorant of the nuances of a serious issue like running for the seat of the Governor of a State and completely at sea as to how elections are conducted in this country.
They alleged that the Abia State Government had perfected plans to rig the 2019 elections. According to the poorly written piece, the government is using “her agents in different ministries and parastatals to fraudulently and deceitfully collect PVC DETAILS of thousands of voters in exchange for sums said to range from N5000.00 to N20,000.00 per person.
Continuing, it also said that the government and the PDP have set up some organized groups, allocated millions of naira to them and charged them with the responsibility of fraudulently obtaining PVC DETAILS of voters, especially those in the rural areas.
They further alleged that “the government printed fake employment forms, brought some fertilizers and palm seedlings and other gifts which are given to their unsuspecting victims in exchange FOR THEIR PVCs. We understand that the PVCs SO COLLECTED are intended to be used if incident forms are going to be used by INEC, otherwise, they would be withheld to ensure genuine voters, majority of whom would vote against the PDP are disenfranchised.
They also alleged that the plan is to preload the card readers with the PVC details before election starts and thereby being able to falsify the result on Election Day.
Anybody reading this will conclude whoever wrote this is dangerously block headed.
In one breadth, he alleged that PVC DETAILS are being collected with the intention of preloading the card readers with them. In another breadth, he alleged that what are being collected are the real PVCs.
Dear Spokesman, which one exactly are you talking about? PVC details or the PVC itself.
Two things are deducible from his write up.
First, it is either he doesn’t know what a card reader is and has never seen one in his lifetime, let alone knowing how it operates OR he is an expert it manipulating the device to achieve fraudulent ends.
Anyone who has voted before here and knows what the card reader is will agree that card readers can only authenticate a voter after two things are done. First, the device will first successfully read your PVC and then further read your finger print when you manually place your finger thereon.
The concept of preloading card readers with details of PVCs by persons outside INEC sounds extremely idiotic and nonsensical. Will the card readers be preloaded without the finger prints of the voters? Or maybe, the PDP government also cuts off the index fingers of those whose PVCs they collect.
Again, anyone reading that nonsense will be tempted to imagine that the Government of Abia State controls INEC and is in custody of card readers in the state. When did State Governments start being in custody of card readers to the extent that they are able to preload them with PVC details?
I honestly wonder where Alex Otti brought that funny and confused character from. How can someone who is the Spokesman of a Gubernatorial Campaign be this naive and ignorant? I thought they said that Otti is very good at hiring smart people?
So this is the kind of people he will bring into government in the most unlikely event that his Gubernatorial pipe dream sees the light of the day?
Suffice it to say that the allegations in the release make no sense whatsoever and cannot be true. How can anyone allege that salaries of workers in the ministries were diverted into this spurious PVC purchase when those category of workers were duly paid their December 2018 salaries.
Does this ignorant writer understand the caliber of persons who work in our ministries? Does he think they are motor park touts? How could he possibly reduce them to such abysmally low level of exchanging their PVCs for 5000 Naira?
Unknown to Otti and his comedian Spokesman, they have succeeded in indicting INEC, an agency of the Federal Government by accusing it of handing over the custody of card readers to the Abia State Government. I expect INEC to take up this serious issue of character assassination with Alex Otti and his band of “York brains”.
They even alleged that a meeting held at a hotel at Azikiwe Road where money was shared for the purpose of buying PVCs or is it PVC details. They did not alert the police, neither did they take any other steps in that direction.
By bringing into this their infantile write up, the name and office of the Wife of the Governor is indeed most unfortunate.
Ever since her husband was elected into office, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu has busied herself with trying to improve the welfare of women, children and other vulnerable groups. As at date, over 50 brand new buildings have been erected for indigent widows across the state through her efforts. Her pet project, The Vicar Hope Foundation has pioneered the fight against the sickle cell pandemic and established the first ever Sickle Cell Clinic in Umuahia and Aba.
The Wife of our Governor has no time for such pettiness as described and exists in the head of the writer.
Alex Otti knows he will lose this election and lose it badly. He doesn’t understand the forces and emotions that influence the political choices of people. He doesn’t understand that you cannot alienate a people and expect them to support you. He does not respect the foundation of diversity and sub ethnic harmony in the state. Alex Otti chose his running mate from his federal constituency. What does that tell you about his understanding of politics in a diverse state like ours?
His ABIA FIRST slogan is a hoax because apart from the two houses he built at Arochukwu and Isiala Ngwa which he enters only during elections, he has no other presence here. All his businesses are in Lagos. He pays his taxes to the government of Lagos State and comes to mouth ABIA FIRST! What hypocrisy!
He doesn’t know that the people of Abia State are determined to allow Ikpeazu to finish what he started instead of gambling with a man who doesn’t know what he really wants.
Let Alex Otti continue with his tales by moonlight while we intensify efforts to reach Abians with our message which is very simple – WE MAY NOT HAVE REACHED OUR DESTINATION YET BUT WE ARE A CERTAINLY MOVING TOWARDS IT.
Alex Otti should get ready to cry more as doomsday approaches for him. He can’t escape it. That is if he succeeds in taking part in the election since he remains till date, a factional candidate.
Finally, I sincerely feel for my friend, Ferdinand Ekeoma who would have done a better job with this Press Release. At least, he is on ground and has a better understanding of the processes, they left him and brought some ignorant fellow whose first shot is to issue a statement that is a total embarrassment.
Ferdinand wouldn’t have written such hogwash.
Onyebuchi Ememanka, Esq
Director
Media, Information and Communications
Abia State PDP Central Campaign Council.