ABIA: APC CHIEFTAIN QUESTIONS GOV. OTTI OPERATING FROM PRIVATE RESIDENCE

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia State, Prince Chidi Ogbulafor has questioned the justification behind the decision of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State to operate from his private residence in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state.

Prince Ogbulafor who was one time Chairman of Umuahia South LGA said the decision of the governor is against leadership ethics and a bad precedent for other administrations.

“The government should operate from the State Capital and not private residence. Doing otherwise is setting a bad precedent for others coming after him, which is not a good example.”

“If every one that becomes a governor decides to reside in his village when elected, this will no doubt set a new precedent that will not go down well with those coming after him.”

He also pointed out that the residual economic empowerment and or income, coming with the presence of the governor residing in the appropriate state capital is not being felt because of his absence in the state capital.

Against the backdrop of the argument that the former governor, Dr Victor Okezie Ikpeazu operated for greater part of his administration from Aba Government Lodge and not Government House, Umuahia, Prince Chidi Ogbulafor questioned why the governor should follow a bad precedent.

“We are Umuahia people, the state capital was cited in Umuahia. He should not follow the bad precedent set by Ikpeazu.
We are losing local tourism, economically, it is affecting Umuahia negatively”, he said.

On the issue that the previous administration vandalized the Government House in Umuahia, Prince Chidi Ogbulafor who is a former candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, in 2011 for Ikwuano Umuahia Federal constituency said that should not be a good reason for the governor not to operate from Government House noting that governance is not about comfortability but about service to the people.

“A selfless governor should furnish one side of the apartment and govern Abia from approved Government House designated for governors to live and work but not certainly to reside in your private resident.”

“If you are coming to govern, you should forget about your personal luxury and be a selfless leader and govern from the official place designated for that office”, he added.

He called on the governor to as a matter of urgency return the seat of power to Umuahia, the state capital.

Prince Chidi Ogbulafor who recently joined APC after many years of sojourn in the United States of America told newsmen that he is back in the country to join forces with other progressives in order to add value to the party in Abia State.

He therefore appreciated the good work President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing in the country, while extolling him for approving the establishment of South East Development Commission SEDC which he said would go a long way in correcting infrastructural decays in the zone occasioned by many years of marginalization and neglect of people from South East.