Let it be broadcast upon the streets of Abia state ans every household therein, let those who can break out the old vintage wine and pop, and let the old dancing shoes be dusted and put on, it is celebration time in Abia state of Nigeria.

The truth is that this not just a political victory. It really is a massive victory in the siritual realm. Those who know, know. As the old saying goes, it is he who is wearing the shoes that know where the pinch is.

For more than 24 years now, this state that has produced the likes of M I Okpara, Aguiyi Ironsi, great legal minds, formidable business moguls, warriors of yore and contemporary, the state the houses extra ordinary institutions like Government College Umahia; a school that produced the likes of Okigbo, Chinua Achebe, Ken Saro Wiwa and others has been under deep darkness. The state with the shining motto Gods own State, as Abia is mentioned in the Holy Bible, meaning Jehovah is my Father. It is sometimes written as Abijah but still stands as Abia, both in the New and Old Testaments, the number one state in Nigeria even on alphabetical arrangements became the laughing stock of the nation. One does not have to be anything special to see that the state is under acurse, as under developement is seen every where.

Coming from another state, one does not need to be told that one has arrived Abia state, as the horrible state of the roads and other absent or decayed infrastructure and overt abject negligence of everything will announce this for you. Yet a party has for the past 24 years unabashedly and calously reigned and ruled supreme over this state where it is on record, that state workers have not been paid their salaries for more than one year, retirees are dying without their benefits not paid, yet the first governor of the state claims to be one of the richest men in the country and presently shamelessly contesting for the presidency of the senate of the land. One of the most glaring example of this state of decay of Abia state was some years back when I came with some foreign investors from the Netherlands to Abia state. When they came into the state driving in from Imo state, they asked me if anything is wrong with the state and of course i told that nothing is wrong. Their spokes person looking at through the window of the vehicle as we drove through the city of Umuahia shook his head and declared that the city is dull. In fact when directly translated from Dutch, his statement practically meant that the city is sick.

Therefore the headline that Abia is free at last with the the victory of Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP) in the March 18 governorship election in Abia State, is not one casually made.

The desperate fight that was put up by the ruling party, the PDP led by their outgoing governor Okezie Ikpeazu was an indication of the insane lust to cling to power to the impoverishment of the whole state for another four or even eight years by these political criminals. Their sad and pathetic attempt to rig election and twart the will of the people again was pitiful to behold. This led to the result that was to be announcement on Saturday or latest Sunday being dragged on to today. This ruling party had resorted to every nefarious machinizations available in their massive arsenal to change the obvious out come of this election; their touts had raided the polling booths of the last local government, Obingwa which they usually use as their trump card to rig election. But this time, the unyeilding will of the people defeated them.

Dr Alex Otti soundly and roundly trounced his opponents like Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Enyinnaya Nwafor of the Young Peoples Party (YPP).

Otti scored 175,467, Ahiwe polled 88,529 and Nwafor got 28,972. The LP candidate also won 10 of the 17 local government areas in the state, PDP got six while the YPP got one.

The Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Prof Nnenna Nnannaya-Oti declared Otti the winner on Wednesday evening at the resumption of the final collation of governorship election results in Umuahia, the Abia State capital over 48 hours after INEC suspended the exercise in the South-East state.

“That Otti Alex Chioma of Labour Party having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner of the election,” said Nnannaya-Oti, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

The last time the LP produced a governor in the last 20 years was when Olusegun Mimiko was elected Ondo State governor from February 2009 to February 2017.

Obviously under intense pressure to succumb to the manipulations, threats and bribe of the PDP and its minions, Nnannaya-Oti made a statement that will be written in marble and will stand as a testament to her noble personality and a guiding light to future electoral officers the nation over, she said

“I shall stand squarely and unapologetically on these principles. The people’s votes and mandate shall stand.

“The pastor and the mother in me will not permit me to do anything that will adversely affect the future of our children,” She is a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri – FUTO

As it stands, the results of 25 of the 28 governorship elections have been announced. APC won in 15 states, PDP in eight, LP in one while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) won that of Kano state.

See results by parties:

A – 1528
AA – 474
AAC – 298
ADC – 2529
ADP – 601
APC – 24091
APGA – 18119
APM – 572
APP – 11728
BP – 1141
LP – 175467
NNPP – 2068
NRM – 472
PDP – 88529
PRP – 168
SDP – 773
YPP – 28972
ZLP – 1011