A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Abia State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Iko, has commended Governor Alex Otti for what he described as visible achievements across key sectors of the Abia State economy.
Chief Iko made the commendation on Wednesday while speaking with journalists after paying a private visit to Governor Otti at his country home in Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area of the state.
The APC stalwart said the visit was undertaken on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and was aimed at encouraging the Governor to sustain the pace of development in the state.
According to him, the visit was also an opportunity to acknowledge the Governor’s performance and encourage him to do more in line with democratic ideals and grassroots development.
“I’m here today to visit our Governor, the Governor of Abia State. I am the Abia State Coordinator of Renewed Hope Ambassador.
“We have come to visit the Governor with a message from Mr President, through our Director-General, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
“We have come to wish him well. Mr President has mandated us to come and see a few responsible people in our State. And as you can agree with me, the Governor is the number one citizen of this State.
“That is why I came to wish him well, to wish him progress, and to also remind him that we have seen what he is doing in this State, that moving forward, God will give him the courage to do more. Because democracy has come to stay. Abia people are committed to making sure that development gets to the whole grassroots”, he stated.
Chief Iko noted that the achievements of the Otti led administration were evident, stressing that the changes in the State were tangible and widely felt by residents.
“So far, he is doing things that we can see. Mr President has asked us to remind all of them that, as a President, he wants the States to do more”, he said.
The APC chieftain further disclosed that Governor Otti assured him of his commitment to delivering more dividends of democracy in line with his development targets for the state.
He also attributed some of the developmental progress recorded in Abia to improved statutory allocations from the Federal Government, commending President Tinubu for fiscal reforms that have enhanced funding to states.
“When you look at Abia State, you will agree with me that there are certain visible things that you can see that have not been there before.
“And in practice, we can feel, we can see what is happening here. And I want to encourage him to do more.
“First and foremost, I have to give Mr President the credit. Because Mr President has been able to send more funds to all the various states through his reforms”, Iko added.
Responding to questions on whether the visit was aimed at persuading Governor Otti to defect to the APC, Chief Iko dismissed such insinuations.
“I am not here to ask him to join APC or not to join APC. I am not going to talk about that. His Excellency is the Governor. It is up to him to join or not to join”, he said.
Chief Henry Iko, a former Minister of Science and Technology, was accompanied on the visit by other APC chieftains, including Pastor Emeka Inyama.
