Dr. Alex Otti, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Abia, said he joined the race with a mission to lead a revolutionist to reclaim the state.

Otti, who was on a campaign tour of Bende and Arochukwu Local Government Areas (LGAs) on Wednesday, said he had come to free the state from the hands of politicians he described as kidnappers.

He told his supporters that the government of Abia had been kidnapped and pocketed by mindless politicians, whose sole objective was to steal the people’s commonwealth.

He said, “Abia government has been kidnapped. People have kidnapped the government and put it in their pocket.

“It requires somebody with courage to retrieve the government from them,” Otti told the crowd at Idima Secondary School, Idima Abam, Arochukwu LGA.

“I have come to lead the revolution to take back Abia from the hands of those kidnappers.”

Otti vowed to recover all the state monies and assets allegedly stolen and deploy the in transforming the state, if elected.

“I can assure you that I am up to the task. I am not afraid. God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of love, power and sound mind.

“We will retrieve all that they have stolen and use them to repair our state. Many of you know me, I’m one of you.

“God has blessed me and has made me a blessing to you all,” he said.

Otti described his involvement in politics and the governorship election as a huge sacrifice.

He said, “It’s a big sacrifice and I’m happy to do it, so that in the next 20 years, when the children will be reading the history books, they will know that a man came here, he saw and he conquered.”

He announced to the excited crowd that he had put the events of 2015 election, where he was allegedly robbed of victory, behind him and now pressing forward.

“We have put 2015 behind us. The most important thing is that the robbery of 2015 will not happen again.

“I am asking all of you to forget what happened before and look ahead.

“Like MKO Abiola said, you don’t move forward when you keep looking backwards,” the APGA candidate said. (NAN)