The newly -elected Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Abia State, Ambassador Sunday Onukwubiri, has explained why the party would not want Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party to fail.

Onukwubiri who was fielding questions from newsmen after the first State Working Committee, SWC, meeting of the party in Umuahia, said that Abians had suffered bad leadership for too long, hence the party would not want the people’s suffering to continue.

He said that although they belonged to different political parties, the ultimate target of every progressive Abian during the 2023 elections was how to end bad governance in the state.

According to him, “now that those holding the state down have been sacked from power”, it makes no sense wishing the new administration failure as such will not be in the best interest of “Abians who have suffered for too long”.

” We want Otti to succeed because Abians have suffered for 24 years. It’s not been easy for anyone. Abians need to breathe!

” I won’t be praying that the Governor will fail because Abians are tired of suffering. Although by 2027, APGA will be contesting very strongly, I want him to do well so that Abians can heave a sigh of relief.”

Onukwubiri expressed confidence in the capacity of Otti who was a former Governorship candidate of APGA in 2015 to rebuild and move Abia forward.

“Otti is my former ally. In 2015 I held sway at INEC for him. Otti has what it takes to move Abia forward except if people around him will cause him to err.

“If he has succeded in the banking sector I have no doubts he will also succeed as Governor although governing a state is more than heading a bank. I believe he will do well.”

Onukwubiri, however, declared that APGA would provide the greatest opposition to Otti although “constructively”.

” He should know that the greatest opposition he will have is APGA. But we will only criticise him if he deviates. We will engage him constructively in the interest of the state. All we want is good leadership for Abia.

” When he emerged as Governor I congratulated him, and when he brought Julius Berger to Aba to rebuild the roads, I hailed him for the move because such a thing has never happened in the history of the state.

” So, APGA will play good opposition to enable Government sit up for the good of all. We will criticize him but not to fail, rather to correct him”. (Vanguard)