Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has announced that most of the outgoing Mayors of the 17 LGAs of the state would be retained in other capacities within the his administration, given their proven track record of performance.
Governor Otti disclosed this during a dinner organized in honour of the outgoing and incoming Mayors and Deputies of the Local Government Area Councils at the Banquet Hall, Government House Umuahia.
The Governor while celebrating the various achievements of the outgoing Mayors and their Deputies, expressed deep pride and gratitude to them for making themselves available to serve the people at the grassroots.
He said,; ““We have found these ones, and we are going to engage them fully.
“In the eleven months and a few days that they have spent, you can see the wonders that they did in the different Local Governments.
“They performed so excellently well that I can stand here and tell you that I am very proud of all of them,and it is that pride that informed this gathering.
“I just want to use this opportunity to say thank you very much. Thank you for a job well done. Thank you for giving of yourselves, thank you for establishing that trajectory that people will follow.
“You have already done it in eleven months so you have challenged everybody including the new Mayors who are here so that they would have something to copy from”.
Governor Otti who highlighted the deliberate process in selecting mayors, said that his administration sought individuals with proven character and reputation.
The Governor added that the primary selection criteria was commitment to service and integrity, noting that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption.
He encouraged the new Mayors to prioritize public welfare over personal gain, and warned those with intentions of personal enrichment to reconsider as any official caught in corrupt practices would face consequences.
“In our administration, leadership is about stewardship. We have made it clear that this government has zero tolerance for corruption so if you were thinking that the reason you offered yourself is to steal money, resign now, didn’t let us disgrace you.
“I will not spare any efforts in disgracing anybody who steals. I may be lenient and ask you to leave. Alot of times, I’m not that lenient. I can assure you that this administration would not tolerate stealing and the leader would not steal”, he assured.
Governor Otti emphasized that the performance of the current Mayors would be monitored and compared to that of their predecessors and urged them to draw inspiration from the example set by the outgoing Mayors.
The Governor assured that his administration would support the New Mayors to succeed irrespective of political affiliation and urged them to remain dedicated to fostering development in their various communities.
“I want to reassure you that for us, what is important is the individual. We don’t care about political parties they are just platforms.
“Whether you are coming from Zenith Labour’ Party, YPP, APC,PDP wherever you are coming from, it doesn’t really matter, the important thing is that you have a job to do.
“Once we finish with the election, the next thing is governance and governance does not care about platform so you are all integrated into this family”, he reassured.
In their separate speeches on behalf of other outgoing Mayors, the Fomer Mayor of Ohafia LGA, Dr David Ogba who spoke onbehalf of the Abia North Senatorial Zone, Former Mayor Aba South LGA,Mr Uche Nwogu and their Umuahia South counterpart, Attorney Ejike Nnochiri expressed gratitude to the Governor for the opportunity to serve and contribute to grassroots development.
They encouraged the newly elected Mayors to embrace their roles with humility and build on the foundations established by their predecessors, as well as to further advance democracy at the grassroots level.
