Gov Otti, PDP trade words over alleged plot to influence election tribunal judgement

By Christiana Ekpa

The Abia State Government has denied allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it is planning to mobilize protests to influence the outcome of elections tribunal ruling in the State.

It also denied the claims by the PDP that the government and the Labour Party are planning to cause mayhem in the State should the outcome of the ruling go against them.

In a statement signed by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Alex Otti, he described the allegations as peddled by corrupt leaders whose situation has become pathetic due to lack of access to public funds.

He equally described the PDP allegations as misleading fabrication and infantile strategy.

It said Otti and his party, LP, have been busy with governance while the PDP has been spreading endless propaganda to misinform the public about events at the election petition tribunal.

The statement in part: “Even though the Labour Party is the ruling party, we have conducted ourselves with decency and decorum by refusing to unleash hoodlums in and around the tribunal premises like the PDP and the former government did during their tenure. Facts on ground can clearly prove that the PDP and its army of thugs have been the ones constituting nuisance through their actions and utterances, on the wrong assumption that their poor siege strategy would stampede the justices to hand over undeserved victory to them.”

It alleged that the PDP and its candidates have been carrying money around the country, looking for who to bribe to compromise the judges without success.

“Again, if the false alarm was also to ward off our supporters who may henceforth want to be at the Tribunal while the PDP and their hired noisy supporters continue to besiege the court and give false impression of their popularity and acceptability, then they have also failed because our supporters will peacefully remain at the tribunal to observe proceedings as required by law.

“The Alex Otti led-government and the Labour Party are too big and too responsible to contemplate causing mayhem in a state they govern and strive to restore sanity after PDP’s years of horrendous pillaging and plundering”, said the Abia government.

Ekeoma advised security agencies to swing into action and nip PDP’s alleged nefarious plots in the bud.

PDP had, on Thursday, raised the alarm that the Abia State Government and the Labour Party were mobilizing some group of persons to stage a protest in the State, aimed at influencing the election petitions tribunal.

Its statement was signed by Abraham Amah, Vice Chairman of the party, who also claimed that the state government and Labour were afraid that the ruling of the election petitions tribunal might not favour them.