Abia North stakeholders, under the aegis of the Alliance for Good Governance, have reiterated their resolve to support and sustain the good governance initiatives of Governor Alex Otti beyond 2031.
Presenting a communique issued at the end of the Abia North Chapter meeting of the Alliance for Good Governance, held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Isieke Civic Centre, Ugwueke, Bende LGA, the Secretary of the group, and former SSG, Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa, noted that the meeting was aimed at consolidating the gains of the group’s inaugural meeting hosted in Abiriba by Chief Ebueme Ezikpe.
Prof. Mkpa explaineded that the purpose of the meeting was to “reiterate that Abia has never found it so good in terms of good governance and that this good governance must be sustained at all costs.” He further disclosed that:
“It was unanimous that the present administration of Governor Alex Cioma Otti, OFR, represents that good governance and all the speakers were unanimous in wishing that, beyond 2031, when he leaves office, that the next generation of leaders of Abia State will continue to implement the template that this administration has initiated and there will be no going back. On the contrary, we shall continue to improve and grow from strength to strength.
“It was agreed that it is not enough to propose that Governor Alex Otti will be in power come next election, that all hands must be on deck to actualise this dream.
“We agreed, among other things, that voter education, particularly among the illiterate ones, should be carried on at the grassroots level. We agreed that the youth must be mobilised and advised not to succumb to any pressure or inducement from other parties, that they should not sell their votes, that if anybody gives them any money, let them collect, but at the right time they should go and vote for Dr. Alex Cioma Otti, and by extension all other people that are in his lineup.
“We are nonpartisan, we are the elders of Abia North, and we are the lone voice, crying in the wilderness, calling on all and sundry, not to allow this singular opportunity that we have prayed for over the years, which God has graciously granted us in giving us a person like Governor Alex Otti to slip through our fingers,” Prof. Mkpa stated.
The group encouraged the Governor to “continue to break new grounds in the next few months of this administration and into the next four years, because today he has made Abians proud”, noting that “in the past, we’ve fretted, we’ve trembled, we were afraid, we were intimidated to be identified as Abians, but today we can raise our shoulders high and say proudly, we are Abians,” Prof. Mkpa emphasised.
Speaking in an interview, Dr. Uche Ogah said the stakeholders in Abia North had resolved to support Governor Otti’s re-election and had strategies to achieve the objective.
“Almost everyone here (the stakeholders) has a political structure. The political structures are meant to go to the grassroots to ensure that our people are enlightened at the lowest level.
“But I can tell you that with the good governance in place, our people are knowledgeable. So they know what is good, they know what is bad, and the difference is clear.
“And they (Abians) have seen that there is good governance, there is infrastructure everywhere. Let Abians come out en masse to support His Excellency, the Governor, come 2027 for the good work that he’s doing so that Abia will be reckoned amongst other states in the world,” Dr. Ogah stated.
For the host, Sir Johnson Chukwu, he said that the purpose of the Alliance for Good Governance in Abia North was for the group to create a structure that would ensure that opinion leaders would come together to shape the direction of governance in the state, based on the achievements of Governor Otti in road infrastructure, quality education, healthcare, among others.
“I and my wife are elated to be the second host of the meeting of the Alliance for Good Governance in Abia North.
“The purpose of this gathering is to ensure that we institutionalise good governance in Abia State as epitomised by His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti. We are fortunate as a people of Abia State that we now have good government in Abia State.
“We need to make sure we institutionalise this good governance in the state. In Abia State, outside of Abia State, all through the state, all through the Federation,” Sir Chukwu stated.
Contributing, a prominent Nigerian banker, Elder Urum Kalu Eke, who said that he had worked with Dr. Otti previously in the bank and knew his quality, appreciated the fact that Dr. Otti had been representing the professionals with good governance.
“I was invited to this meeting to lend credence to the fact that we have one of us that has left the industry and started to make a change, a difference in our home state, Abia.
“And we are proud of his representation. We are proud that he has demonstrated quality, that the things we advocate at the private sector level, he has been able to replicate them at the public sector level.
“And therefore, today we endorsed all of what he has done and to say, look, there is no point making a change when there is no need. If you have someone that has performed so well, not just by our own acknowledgement, but across the country, even his brother governors have used him as a reference point to say, this is what governance should look like,” Elder Eke noted.
In their goodwill messages, Chief Ray Nkemdirim, Mazi Victor Okoronkwo, Barr. John Ujuga and Chief Egbulonu Obasi all appreciated the necessity of coming up with strategies for the re-election of Governor Alex Otti and assured their support to realise that.
Earlier, the initiator and convener of the Alliance for Good Governance, Chief Ebueme Ezikpe, emphasised that what they were doing was not a political party affair, adding that none of the stakeholders was a government contractor.
“Today, what has happened is clear and visible, everybody in Abia State has confirmed that the difference is clear. We must sustain and protect this kind of governance which we have never seen before. We are looking beyond 2031,” Chief Ezikpe stated.
