The immediate past Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State, Eze Chikamnayo, has cautioned the state governor, Alex Otti, against acts and comments that could set the state on fire.
DAILY POST reports that the governor, at a stakeholders meeting at the weekend, announced the appointment of Ide Udeagbala as the Mayor of Aba city.
Otti had said in the viral video that the era of indigenes and non-indigenes is gone in the State.
Reacting to the development through a statement released to newsmen on Monday, Chikamnayo urged President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to call Otti to order to avoid turning a peaceful state into a crisis zone.
He said for the avoidance of doubt, Aba belongs to two related communities known as Ana na Ohazu, saying it was not a no man’s land as is being painted by Otti.
“It is therefore preposterous and mischievous for anyone, no matter his position, to arrogate to himself the non-existing powers to mangle this irrefutable fact of history because of temporary political advantage.
“Non-indigenes from other parts of Abia State and or Igboland like old Bende, Anambra, Enugu, Imo State or Ebonyi, regardless of their wealth or status, should never allow themselves to be deceived by Mr. Alex Otti to assume that they can mutate into the owners of Aba.
“By recklessly declaring that Aba is a no man’s land, Mr. Alex Otti is inadvertently setting Abia on fire and instigating avoidable unrest in that peaceful city. For reasons best known to him, he is ostensibly trying to stoke this fire of indigene-non-indigene dichotomy to insult the Ngwa Nation further and polarize the polity.
“Maybe because of his inert desire to assuage his own internal contradictions that have made him a bipolar element with identity crisis hovering between Nvosi and Arochukwu, Otti is now drawing Abia State into needless ‘Katakata’ that will lead to loss of lives and property if not nipped in the bud.
“Since assumption of office, Mr Alex Otti’s penchant for playing to the gallery is legendary. If he truly wants to patronize his fellow big men like Bourdex, Udeagbara and Co, he must not reduce them to canon fodders, thereby setting them up against the people,” he said.
While condemning the statement credited to the Governor, the former Commissioner said Udeagbala has built a name for himself in Aba and has lived peacefully with the people; hence he should not allow himself to be messed up.
