The attention of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the April general elections in Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti, has been drawn to the unwarranted reaction of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu to the attack on a private guest house in Abuja, where Otti stays by unknown gunmen in the early hours of Friday.


Ikpeazu’s quick rush to the media with the findings of his investigation barely 24 hours after the attack and ahead of the conclusion of police investigation, was a mere attempt to politicize the fatal incident, which claimed the life of a policeman on duty at the guest house.

His unguarded comments on the unfortunate incident become more worrisome and suspicious, considering that the police authorities have already confirmed the incident to newsmen, while they have also commenced investigation in earnest to uncover the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

The hasty reaction further raises a fundamental question as to whose interest Ikpeazu was desperate to defend, since Otti in his press briefing on the incident did not point accusing finger at him or his administration but strongly wished that the police investigation would help to expose the masterminds of the attack.

In Dr. Otti's press conference, he didn't want to give details of the location of the guest house since the police is still investigating the matter. However, in the haste to divert attention, Ikpeazu correctly disclosed the location as Nest Oil offices and went ahead to lie that Otti's guest house was close to the location, quoting the Force Public Relations Officer. To the best of our knowledge, Police have not given any verdict about the incident,  yet, Dr. Ikpeazu, from his own investigation, was hasty to declare it an armed robbery attack. For the avoidance of doubt, the guest house is part of the building housing Nest Oil Offices.

While we will not attempt to speak for the police, we want to make bold to affirm that the police could not have told Ikpeazu anything different from our account of the incident. It stands to reason that since Dr. Otti did not disclose the location of the property attacked in his press briefing, yet, the address is known to Dr. Ikpeazu, who also declared the motive as armed robbery, the proper thing the police should do is to invite him to assist in their investigation given his obvious knowledge of facts.

The assailants also left the residence when they failed to meet anybody and did not remove any item. It is therefore important to establish the issue of suspected robbery attack as Dr. Ikpeazu would like the world to believe.

Ikpeazu’s conclusion that Otti’s claim of an assassination attempt on his life was designed to whip up sentiment showed that he has carried out and concluded an investigation on the attack and has more information that can be useful to the police in their own investigation. His comments were not only repugnant to good conscience but exposed his deep interest in the attack.

The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, is therefore implored to invite Gov. Ikpeazu to avail the police with vital information that would help the police to get to the root of the attack.
Ikpeazu also goofed when he accused Otti of trying ‘’to attract the sympathy of the security agencies and the electoral tribunal’’ to his petition in the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, challenging his (Ikpeazu) declaration as the governor.

Also, his postulation that Otti was trying to influence the tribunal to move its sitting to Abuja on account of insecurity in Abia state was simply absurd and unintelligible, since common sense shows that Otti cannot allege a threat to his life in Abuja and at the same time attempt to influence a relocation of the tribunal to the same city where he was attacked.

It is difficult to ascertain any cogent reason, other than those fabricated by Ikpeazu, that Otti in his respectable social and political standing within and outside Nigeria would want to associate himself with a fatal, dastardly and criminal act, which according to Ikpeazu’s "police source", happened at a location outside Otti's residence.

Ikpeazu made other disparaging  and contemptuous comments about the matter in the tribunal and as an enlightened citizen, Otti would rather not respond to those as he believes that it is only the  learned judges of the tribunal that can make pronouncements on the matter and not  Ikpeazu who is a respondent.