Opposition/Criticism Is An Essential Part of Democracy; Chronicling The Example of Alex Otti Role As The Chief Opposition Figure Under Ex Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu
By Ik Ogbonna
Governor Alex Otti was the darling of all previous administrations in Abia especially the TA Orji led state government. His then bank, Diamond bank was highly patronised by the then government. Alex Otti fell out with TA Orji owing to his preference for Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as his successor. Otti immediately transmuted to the Chief Traducer and Opposition Leader of the Okezie Ikpeazu led administration.
Alex Otti emerged as a prominent opposition figure against the administration of Okezie Ikpeazu, who governed Abia State from 2015 to 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). A former Diamond Bank CEO, economist, and repeated governorship aspirant (APGA in 2015, APC/APGA-aligned in 2019, and Labour Party victor in 2023), Otti used opinion pieces, open letters, public statements, interviews, and symbolic gestures to highlight alleged governance failures, financial mismanagement, unpaid salaries/pensions, infrastructure neglect, and poor service delivery.
Otti positioned himself as an advocate for accountability, frequently arguing that state resources—including federal allocations, internally generated revenue (IGR), oil derivation funds, bailouts, and Paris Club refunds—were sufficient for obligations like worker salaries if managed responsibly, but were instead frittered away on questionable projects or priorities.
One of Otti’s most notable interventions was his July 2018 open letter to Ikpeazu, published widely and titled “OPEN LETTER TO DR. OKEZIE IKPEAZU GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE. PLEASE SHOW EMPATHY, LIVES ARE INVOLVED.” In it, Otti detailed how civil servants were owed up to 10 months’ salaries and pensioners up to 16 months, despite over N30 billion in federal bailouts and refunds. He cited reports and personal messages about deaths from hunger, inability to afford healthcare, children dropping out of school, workers borrowing at high interest (eroding any eventual pay), declining morale/productivity, rising corruption, and broader economic harm from reduced circulation during recession/recovery periods.
Otti invoked moral/religious imperatives (Bible, Quran) against withholding wages, rejected politicization of the crisis (e.g., allegedly delaying payments until pre-2019 elections), and urged immediate action as “lives are involved.” He distinguished this humanitarian appeal from his prior critiques of performance and programs.
Otti referenced his ongoing “ThisDay Column” (republished elsewhere), where he regularly assessed the administration’s policies, critiqued faulty programs, and addressed moral/economic obligations of timely salary payments. These pieces contributed to his reputation for consistent, data-driven opposition through mainstream newspapers like ThisDay, alongside reports in outlets such as Daily Post, Vanguard, and The Guardian.
Other documented criticisms included a September 2019 statement where Otti described Ikpeazu as “held hostage, not in-charge of governance” by “timid thugs,” rendering him an “object of mockery” and enabling “draconian policies” that subjected citizens to poverty. He accused the administration of electoral rigging (with INEC connivance), incompetence/lack of direction, unpaid salaries (nearly one year for workers) and pensions (32 months for some), un-cleared refuse in Aba/Umuahia, delayed commissioner appointments, no major infrastructure or hospital/school modernization (while claiming credit for exam results from private/missionary schools). Otti called for Ikpeazu to reject mediocrity and thuggery.
In 2017, Otti publicly alleged misappropriation of funds and criticized responses from the state government as “uncouth,” while also challenging aspects like a proposed $200 million African Development Bank loan.
A memorable symbolic act was Otti’s association with (and wearing/promotion of) T-shirts inscribed “Flyover Gbasara Anyi” (roughly translating in context to questioning “Is flyover your business?”). In one instance around 2022 (while an APC chieftain), a UK-based Abia Restoration Group (ARG) donated dozens of such T-shirts featuring Otti’s picture and images of the delayed/abandoned Osisioma Flyover (one of Ikpeazu’s signature Aba projects). The gesture thanked Otti for his interventions and press releases aligning with public concerns. The inscription reminded Abians of their right to demand accountability for funds spent on delayed, incomplete, or poorly executed flyovers and other infrastructure amid perceived waste and embarrassment to the state. Otti accepted them, encouraged distribution for awareness, and reiterated his commitment to challenging harmful policies.
These efforts—spanning columns, letters, statements, and public symbols—kept pressure on the Ikpeazu administration, amplified public grievances (especially in Aba, a commercial hub hit hard by poor roads/sanitation), and bolstered Otti’s image as a competent alternative. Despite legal battles over the 2015 and 2019 results (which Ikpeazu won), Otti’s persistent critique contributed to the narrative shift that helped his 2023 Labour Party victory.
Otti’s opposition role exemplified opposition in Nigerian politics, although he was an aggrieved politician turned opposition leader.
Regrettably today, Alex Otti as Governor of Abia State doesn’t tolerate opposition. Reports of alleged harassment, arrest and intimidation are numerous in the state as the government continues to be intolerant of opposition to his government lack of transparency, abuse of council funds and nonexistent projects.
Ik Ogbonna is a Journalist and PR Practitioner. ikogbonna@gmail.com