Igbo interest group, Voice from the East, (VEAST), has dared the Abia state governor to name his place of origin in the state, accusing him of claiming dual indigeneship of Arochukwu and Ngwaland, both in the state.
According to the group, Otti was born and bred in Ngwaland and through communal effort, he was trained in school.
Convener of VEAST, Comrade Kindness Jonah, who disclosed this in a statement, noted that at a stage in his life, Otti had been accepted as an Ngwa man but he Iater traced his ancestry to Arochukwu which is also in Abia state.
He pointed out that for political reasons, when Otti went into politics, he began to claim both Ngwa and Aro citizenship, to suit his political ambition which VEAST frowns at.
The unabridged statement reads thus, “Alex Chioma Oti was born and bred in Umuru Village, in Nvosi community, in Isi Ala Ngwa South LGA of Abia state . In fact, community effort greatly helped his mother and father train Alex Oti.
“His father lived rightly and peaceably with his host community, and no body ever remembered that he was from Arochukwu and not from Ngwa because Ngwas gave him ancestral land to live in and farm also. He was wholly accommodated by Ngwas in Ngwaland. This peaceable co-habitation continued until the father of Alex Oti died in 2002.
“In 2010, Alex Oti had gotten money as the Managing Director of Diamond Bank, after being partly trained by communal effort of Ngwas,was visited by Arochukwu Clan, who told him that he is from Arochukwu, and not from Ngwaland anymore, and that he should relocate to Arochukwu, and build ancestral home at his Arochukwu Clan. Alex Oti wholly agreed, and built a magnificent house at Arochukwu and further wrote an inscription –no place like home.
“In 2012 Alex Otti was set to open his house. The Arochukwu Clan then gave Alex Oti another condition and said that: before he could be accepted as an Aro man, he must go back to Ngwaland and evacuate and dig up or shovel up the bones of his buried father in Ngwaland and re-burry them in Arochukwu. Dr. Alex Chioma Oti, wholeheartedly agreed.
“Then in 2012, Oti having finished building his “New” Ancestral home at Arochukwu, and boldly embossed on it “No place like home”, made elaborate ceremony as had been demanded by his Aro Clan, calling : Aros, all his Arochukwu—Ohawfia Community , all his Old Bende clans and friends and co-bankers as well as Ngwas who also agreed to embrace his ceremony for peace to reign.
“Then Alex Chioma Otti in the presence of all celebrants re-buried the bones of his father in Arochukwu, and boldly declared that he is not from Ngwaland,but from Arochukwu: everybody drank and departed, and the ceremony ended in 2012. Note : No Ngwa person forced Alex Otti to opt out of Ngwa Clan , but out of his own choice (volition). Ngwas accepted him, and helped train him .
“No quarrel, nothing is nothing, and as a bolt from the blue, Alex Oti decided to trace his Clan back to Arochukwu, and excavated the dead bones of his late father, and reburied them in Arochukwu. Ngwas did not raise eyebrow because he has right to wherever he claims he originates from.
“Then in 2015, Alex Otti while contesting guber election under APGA, filled INEC form that he is from Arochukwu. He lost election After losing election in 2015, he secretly went to INEC and changed his local government of origin from Arochukwu back again to Ngwaland.
“He did this when he sensed that the then governor Theodore Ori had concluded giving an Ngwa person power. He contested 2019 elections and failed.
“This secret machination was not discovered until after 2023 elections when INEC had declared him winner of Abia state gubernatorial tussle.
“Also of note is the fact that Alex Chioma Otti did not officially resign his membership of APC party where he had lost the primaries to Ikechi Emenike.
“The pyrrhic question is: where is Alex Chioma Otti from: Ngwa or Arochukwu ? Can you probate and reprobate at the same time? Can you come from Arochukwu and Ngwa ?”
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