EXCLUSIVE: ‘Used and dumped’ Abia LG mayors set to defect to APC
They also want to work against Alex Otti in 2027, a source said.
The 17 LG mayors recently sacked by Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, have concluded plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
One of the personal assistants (PA) to an aggrieved former mayor who craved anonymity told The Realm News that they (the mayors) reached the consensus in a meeting they held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, last week.
He said the ex-mayors held similar meetings in the past few weeks since the governor recanted from his promise to retain them.
“They (the mayors) have vowed to repay Governor Otti with the same measure of frustration he meted to them,” the source said.
“The mayors see the action of the governor as a betrayal. They believe that they were used and dumped by the governor.”
He further said the mayors’ planned move to the APC is to team up with opposition stakeholders in Abia State to scuttle Otti’s re-election bid in 2027.
“Some of these mayors resigned from their lucrative jobs and abandoned their families and businesses abroad to honour the invitation to serve as mayors,” the source continued.
“Governor Otti deceived them. He promised to retain them as elected LG chairmen but reneged on the promise.
“If he had planned to honour the agreement, he would have amended Abia electoral laws to accommodate them the same way he did to manipulate the process,” he said.
When contacted, most of the mayors refused to comment on the matter. However, one of them who spoke anonymously, expectedly denied involvement but said that democracy allows individuals the right of association.
“I want to maintain my silence as I have done since we received the news,” he said as he hung up the phone.
Although he refused to divulge further information on the matter, his tone of voice indicated his unhappiness with Governor Otti’s unfulfilled promise.
