Abia Assembly crisis: “I can only intervene on members’ request” – Otti

Governor Alex Otti has said he can only intervene in the crisis rocking the Abia State House of Assembly on the request of members of the House.

The Abia House of Assembly has been bedeviled with crisis since its inauguration in June, owing to the insistence of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members in the House of producing the majority leader position since they are in the majority.

The PDP has 11 members in the 24-member House, followed by Labour Party (LP), 10; YPP, 2 and APC, 1.

In a release by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti explained that it was normal for those in Legislative Houses to disagree in the course of their legislative duties.

According to the release, “the Governor’s intervention as being suggested by some persons could only happen on request by members of the Assembly”.

Otti reiterated his desire to work at all times for the peace, unity and progress of the state across party lines.

On security challenges facing some parts of the state, especially cases of kidnapping along the Lokponta axis in Umunneochi LGA, the Governor said he is putting measures in place geared towards collaborating with the Federal Government to ensure that the criminals are flushed out.

“The state government is collaborating with security agencies internally to adopt a more robust approach that would help nip the activities of criminals in the bud. The government is doing a lot beyond what is public knowledge”, the statement added.