- Threatens to petition ICPC if…
Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned Governor Alex Otti for naming the newly commissioned Umuahia Central Bus Terminal after Professor Nnenna Oti.
Prof. Oti served as the Returning Officer for the 2023 governorship election in Abia State, where Alex Otti was declared winner.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary Uche Aguoru, the APC described the governor’s action as suspicious, provocative and capable of weakening public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The party alleged that honouring an electoral officer who supervised the election that produced the governor raised serious ethical questions.
According to the APC, Prof. Oti was appointed and paid by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INE) to carry out an official assignment and should not be immortalised by the beneficiary of the election she supervised.
The party asked why other governors across the country had not named public monuments after returning officers who handled elections in their states.
APC also alleged that the development suggested a possible relationship between Governor Otti and the former returning officer.
It argued that the honour could be interpreted as a reward for the role Prof. Oti allegedly played during the 2023 governorship election.
The party called on Prof. Oti to reject the honour, warning that failure to do so would further fuel suspicion about the credibility of the 2023 Abia governorship election.
The APC also threatened to petition the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) if the governor fails to reverse the decision.
According to the party, the petition would seek an investigation into the relationship between Governor Otti and Prof. Oti, as well as her conduct during the 2023 election in Abia State.
The opposition party recalled that some political parties had raised concerns during the collation of results, accusing the former returning officer of taking decisions they considered inconsistent with the Electoral Act.
