Mayors representing 17 local government areas in Abia State have refuted claims circulating on social media that they have made a deal to switch allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the end of their current term.
There is speculation that these mayors, who were appointed by Governor Alex Otti last year, were planning to leave the Labor Party after they were excluded from participating in local government elections scheduled for November 2. .
However, in a statement issued by Chairman of the Nigeria Local Government Association, Abia State Chapter, Elerenta Nwambuisi Elele, Chief Eric Achi Egwibe, Mayor Obinwa and 15 other mayors, the group said the allegations were He strongly insisted. There is absolutely no basis for this.
They also revealed that the meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State where the decision to defect to the APC was allegedly taken was a mere fabrication of the imaginations of “news peddlers”.
The statement read: “Let me be clear once again that Governor Otti, Kio Ndi Abia, never sacked a mayor.
“The authors of this publication, knowing full well that Governor Otti is an ardent defender of democracy and legal norms, clearly demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge of the laws of the country. I made it.
“The 17 outgoing mayors have been invited by His Excellency to assist in the relief of the province and to lay a solid foundation for effective and efficient local government operations in the province.
“At no time was any agreement brokered to elevate them to the position of elected chairperson. Therefore, it is wrong to imitate deception against a process that successfully satisfies the provisions of current law in Abia State.” It is.”
The statement further added, “Mayors are busy working with Governor Otti to move Abia closer to its desired goal of becoming a model state, while preparing for a seamless handover to the next chairman. I will not allow myself to be distracted by rumors,” he added. .
“We know there are desperate politicians lurking around to see who they can exploit. Fortunately, our current mayors are not commercial politicians. , we do not enter into any transaction for the purpose of serving the people of Abia State.
“We are truly grateful to His Excellency for the opportunity to serve and pledge our unwavering support to him in the execution of the Abia project.”
