Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has received a warning from the Coalition of Indigenous People of Aba Ngwa about his intended appointment of a “Mayor of Aba,” which it deems to be “not only unconstitutional but also an aberration.”
The alliance, made up of 24 indigenous villages in Aba North and Aba South, maintained that electing a non-indigene to the position of “Mayor of Aba” was an insult to the peaceful, hard-working Aba natives.
The group committed to thwart any attempts to incite violence in Aba city in a statement released following its meeting on Thursday.
Concern was stated in the statement co-signed by Mr. Ogechukwu Ogbonna (Obama), Mr. Chintua Nwagba, and Engr. Obinna Greg that the Governor had purposefully left Aba out of his nominations to the State Executive Council and the leadership of the markets.
According to the statement, on October 19, 2023, at the Osusu Aba Town Hall, the Indigenous People of Aba Ngwa, the governing body for the 24 indigenous villages in Aba North and Aba South, convened. The Forum released the following resolutions following the well-attended meeting:
“That we recognize Dr. Alex Otti, whose responsibilities, powers, and acts are established and governed by the Nigerian Constitution and several other existing legislation.
“The indigenous people from the 24 settlements of Aba-la-Ohazu possess that Aba.
That we publicly voice our extreme dissatisfaction with the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, for having said that Aba is a wasteland.
“That we are extremely concerned that the Governor’s nominations to the State Executive Council and the leadership of the markets have excluded Aba on purpose.
“The proposed appointment of a ‘Mayor of Aba’ is not only irregular, but also against the law.
“That it is against the Abia State Local Government Transition Edict of 2002, which requires that the person selected as a chairman be a native of the local government area, to designate a non-indigene as the head of the Transition Committee of Aba.
“That the peaceful and hard-working indigenous people of Aba are offended by the appointment of a non-indigene as the stated “Mayor of Aba,” which has been said to be unlawful.
That forcing the indigenous people of Aba into extinction is the equivalent of the governor of Abia State’s acts regarding appointments, which is completely unacceptable to us.
“That we will thwart any attempt that could incite violence in Aba, which the Governor’s actions and statements are pointing towards.”
