The mega rally organised by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia state, on Wednesday, attracted thousands of residents, who closed shop to receive the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Alex Otti, and his campaign team. Eche Road field, venue of the rally, was swarming with a crowd of party faithful, market men and women, traders and artisans, who came to behold the APGA governorship hopeful.


Earlier in the day, a motorcade of APGA campaign branded vehicles, bearing scores of the supporters of the various candidates of the party for the general elections, undertook a tour of the city, moving through the major streets. Residents, who were visibly thrilled by the road show, lined up the streets, cheering and waving at the motorcade, which displayed Otti's campaign posters.

Otti’s campaign songs and jingles from the mobile musical equipment rented the air, while motorists, passersby and roadside traders, who were visibly thrilled by the road show, waved enthusiastically, shouting "Otti nwe weight" (meaning Otti has weight).  A cross-section of the people described Otti as "God-sent," saying that they believed that he was coming to deliver Abia from many years of misrule.

A shoe maker, Chief Anthony Okonkwo, said that, "Aba residents have suffered so much in the hands of wicked leaders, who do not have the interest of the people at heart. We want Otti because we know that he is self-accomplished and has the capacity to lead Abia out of the current socio-economic difficulties. We don’t have roads in Aba, all the roads have collapsed and our businesses are suffering and government is insensitive to our plight," Okonkwo said.

Speaking in the same vein, Mr Christain Ebere and Mrs Cecelia Ekpem, expressed regrets that Aba and its environs were neglected and abandoned by the government, in spite of their huge economic contribution to the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state.

"Over 99 per cent of the government’s IGR comes from Aba, yet government does not want to do anything for Aba," they said.


In his speech, Otti promised to tackle the infrastructure deficit in Aba and other parts of the state, assuring the people that he would transform the state and make it competitive to attract local and foreign investors.