Abia state governor-elect, Alex Otti said he had won the governorship election in the state in the past without Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
Otti stated this in an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday.
The Abia state governor-elect, however, acknowledged that Obi contributed to his election victory. According to him, it’s on record that he won the 2015 governorship election in the state without Obi’s support.
Otti said, “In 2015 when I ran under APGA, there was no Peter Obi. And we have it on our record that I won that election. At the time we were joining Labour Party, Peter Obi had not joined.
“It took about a week before called me and said that he purchased the presidential nomination form and he was coming to Labour Party.
“We were prepared to fight the way we fought in 2015. The votes we garnered in Abia could have been had but maybe the margin could have been smaller. That is why it’s always good to acknowledge Peter Obi. He came to Abia about four times to campaign for us.
“I think he had done well for us. That is why even in the first election out of the eight House of Representatives seats we took six and sent some people on permanent retirement.
“Peter Obi is a great addition to our campaign, but I can tell you that we won an election before in Abia without him.”
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Wednesday, declared Otti the winner of the March 18 governorship poll in Abia state.
Otti polled a total of 175, 467 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Okey Ahiwe of the ruling People’s Democratic Party who scored 88,529 votes.
Enyinnaya Nwafor of the Young People’s Party, YPP, came third with 28,972 votes.
Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Professor Nnenna Oti, subsequently declared Otti the Governor-elect having polled the highest number of votes and satisfied all necessary conditions.
