By SAM ODITAH

Dr Alex Otti, a former Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2015 and 2019 in Abia, says the state needs a competent leader that will propel positve development and not zoning and power shift.

Otti said this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of the state, while speaking on his recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said that the depth of socio-economic rot and undervelopment of Abia placed the need for competent leaders to take over the reign of power above zoning.

“I have refused to discuss the issue of zoning because I believe that what Abia needs is skill, competence, capacity and merit.

“That you are from one place or another does not make you. What makes you is what is inside of you.

“I believe that Abia, particularly at this time, is looking for competent leadership. So let’s discuss competence.

“Where you were born, brought up or live is accidental happenstance. What matters is what have you done. What track record do you have to show.

“All other ones about where one was born or lives are distractive. It amounts to leaving the issues to discuss irrelevancies and nonentities,” Otti said.

The former banker-turned politician said that he decided to join APC because it had a preponderance of men and women desirous to bring about positive change in Abia.

“The whole idea about my joining APC is for us to come together, those of us who are opposed to the rot in Abia.

“We need to come together to change the things that are going on.

“We need to pool together to ensure that we change the system and get things going in the state.

“You may not like to hear it but it has been proven that Abia is the worst state in Nigeria in terms of infrastructure and health facilities, education and environmental sanitation.

“So there is no way we can continue this way for the sake of our children and children’s children.

“We need to do things differently, if the state must move forward,” the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Diamond Bank said.

Otti, who registered his membership in Ehi-na-Uguru APC Ward 5 in Isialangwa South LGA, said that he would publicly declare for APC on Friday.

He later dumped PDP for APGA, where he contested the governorship polls in 2015 and 2019. (NAN)

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