By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—ABIA State governorship candidate on the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] in the last general elections, Dr. Alex Otti has denied rumours that he was negotiating with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his party, PDP to drop his petition at the tribunal describing the rumours as “wicked, baseless and blatant falsehood”.

Okejie Ikpeazu

Dismissing the rumour as laughable, Otti said negotiating to withdraw his petition would amount to betrayal of the trust the people who supported and voted for him reposed on him.

He however admitted that different emissaries from his opponents had continued to approach him for a truce but insisted that no amount of pressure and persuasion would make him to drop the struggle to pursue the matter to a logical legal conclusion.

Otti, in a statement issued weekend in Umuahia, said that the mandate freely given to him by Abia people through the ballot was non-negotiable, saying he was marching on with the legal action at the tribunal.

Entitled “My governorship mandate non-negotiable”, Otti described the rumoured secret talks with his opponents for a possible reconciliation as untrue and handiwork of political jobbers.

“The rumour is baseless, blatant falsehood and the wishful thinking of idle political jobbers and rumour peddlers, in their deliberate attempt to cause mischief and deceive unsuspecting members of the public.

“To negotiate away the mandate from Abia people, who trooped out in their numbers and voted for me because of their conviction and belief in my ability to bring about the desired change, will amount to a betrayal of the people’s trust.”

“And rather than betray the trust, I am more emboldened and resolute to explore all the legal means possible to reclaim the stolen mandate in order to be able to fulfill my campaign promises to put smiles on people’s faces.