The PDP in Abia state, like a hurricane, blew a very destructive wind on the good people of Abia state for the past 24 years. Recognising the ravaging impact of the past 24 years on the fabric of Abia, it becomes pertinent to extend a sincere apology before delving into any form of criticism of the current administration under Governor Alex Chioma Otti. The acknowledgment of the colossal damage inflicted on ndi Abia during this extended period is the first step toward fostering an environment of open discourse and accountability.
Truth be told, a sincere and tender apology is the first sign of repentance and remorse for past wrongdoing. Showing earnest love, care, concern, and compassion to the people you have wronged, whom you have offered a sincere and tender apology is another step to solidify one’s claim of repentance and remorse for earlier wrongs done. Joining forces with people with genuine intention to make positive contributions towards righting the wrongs and forging a better and prosperous society for the people is yet another sign of repentance and remorse.
Let it be known that such an apology is not just a formality but a necessity which must be borne out of a genuine recognition of the sufferings and hardships faced by the people of Abia over the past two decades under the watch of PDP. The fabric of our community has endured strains and stresses, and it is only with humility that we can address the need for collective healing.
Before critiquing the Alex Otti administration, it is crucial to understand that the historical context of the last 24 years casts a long shadow on the leadership of the state. The shortcomings of previous administrations have left huge lasting impacts, and any analysis of the current state of affairs should be tempered with this awareness.
This is not in any way to absolve the Alex Otti administration of any sincere and objective scrutiny; rather, it is a call for a nuanced evaluation that considers the complexities inherited from a significant span of governance marked by hard times and avoidable challenges.
By acknowledging the mistakes of the past, we pave the way for constructive criticism and a more informed dialogue about our collective future. In essence, tendering a sincere apology is an acknowledgment of the collective responsibility we bear in charting a new course for the future of our dear state, Abia. It sets the tone for a discussion that balances the imperative for accountability with an understanding of the historical context within which the present administration now operates.
Without acknowledging the 24 years of catastrophic leadership marked by budgetary scams, bribery, corruption, and unproductive service delivery, it is fair to tag every criticism of the administration of Alex Otti by the PDP as pretentious, hypocritical, and ill-informed, one intended to cause disaffection against the present government and tarnish its ever-growing goodwill. This, will be systematically and vehemently resisted by every means possible.
It can be stated emphatically that the government of Alex Otti is barely 6 months old and has outperformed the PDP in all sectors, using every genuine standard of leadership assessment there is. The PDP, therefore, has no moral rectitude to criticise the current government without first accepting and apologising for the ruin it plunged the state into for 24 years which the present government is fighting very hard to fix with the meager resources available.
What moral conscience has a party that looted not only public funds meant for the public good but also government properties – such as official vehicles, staff cars, home appliances like ACs, refrigerators, furniture, and electrical fittings to mention but a few – to criticise the same administration that is out to clean up their “dirty mess”? Which face will the party raise after forcing the current Governor and some of his appointees to be operating from the Governor’s private residence owing to their rascality and unscrupulousness in governance?
How can a party that left salaries, arrears of salaries, pensions, and gratuity unpaid for more than 24 months and effectively accumulated a debt burden of over N66.2 billion for the state be quick to criticise a government that is doing everything possible to clean up the mess of the former?
Can the PDP in Abia state sincerely explain to the good people of Abia state what its administration led by the emperor and terrible consumer, Okezie Ikpeazu, did with a whopping sum of N2.8 billion received from SURE-P and kept with Union Bank, which they diverted into private pockets few days for their administration to hand over to Governor Alex Otti?
How sensible is it for a party and government that left a debt burden of N191,239,307,593.61 billion ( N191.2 billion) for Governor Alex Otti’s administration without qualms of conscience to be criticising a government that is barely 6 months in office?
Having lost its ravenous grip on the state, the meaningless and unwarranted criticisms and attacks of the PDP against the administration of Governor Alex Otti is nothing other than the last cry of a dying horse. It is not easy to nurse wounds, and that is exactly what is happening to the PDP and its gang of shameless criminal members in the state.
The good people of Abia state are enjoined to pay no attention to whatever distractions coming from incompetent buffoons who had 24 good years to serve the people and deliver quality leadership but rather chose to ruin the state and impoverish her people.
Conscience, as Uthman Dan Fodio rightly captured, is an open wound that only truth can heal. And the only way to acknowledge this truth is to come with sincere penitence and unreserved apologies to the dear people of Abia state whose lives and dreams had been bitten, battered, and shattered in the last 24 years of reckless governance.
He who comes to equity must do so with clean hands, not with blood-stain fists and greed-infested eyes.
Written by Anokwuru, C. U. Ph.D
Political Analyst
