Abia Government Allegedly Stops Otti’s Worship Service

SAN FRANCISCO, January 11, (THEWILL) – The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State has alleged that the state government, working with the Abia state Police Command, has prevented her governorship candidate, Dr. Alex Otti, from holding a worship service.

Briefing newsmen on the development, Chief Mike Akpara, Director of Finance, Abia First- the Dr. Alex Otti Governorship Campaign Organization, revealed that the worshippers were chased out of the Aba Recreation Club by agents of the government.

According to Akpara, the event, ‘a praise and worship programme’ (victory programme) in honour of the Appeal Court judgment which declared Otti winner of the last governorship elections in Abia state, was later moved to Hotel de Lapais at Ekenna, by Okigwe road, Aba.

He said that the hotel management refunded the N230,000 already paid for the venue to the organizers on the premise that ‘they were being threatened if the event finally held in their facility.

“We are law abiding citizens and we followed due process by notifying the Police about our Praise and worship programme and they responded to us via their letter dated January 10, 2016 where they told us to hold it in a Church premises on a Monday,” he said.

“We told the police that no church premises would contain the crowd and as such we decided to hire a private facility and we were mounting the canopy with the famous Christian music artist, Isreal Anyanele of the Agape Love Band fame on stage before information came that the premises was to be under attack if we do not vacate the venue immediately.”

Akpara expressed dismay that government could go further to recruit hoodlums and miscreants to disrupt the programme despite the police Armored Personnel Carrier deployed to Aba Recreation Club to make sure that the event could not hold.

All effort meant to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Abia State Police Command, Onyeke Ezekiel Udeviotu proved abortive as he could not pick his calls for confirmation.

Also the chief press secretary to the governor of Abia state, Godwin Adindu could not pick his calls.