Nollywood actress Doris Ogala has declared that she will become the next governor of Abia State, saying her ambition is driven by what she considers the failure of Governor Alex Otti’s administration to match its public image with the state’s conditions.
Ms Ogala, who has previously been involved in Abia politics and briefly served as an adviser under former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, said she had spent the past three months in the state and was dissatisfied with what she had seen.
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She questioned some of the achievements associated with the Mr Otti administration, particularly claims around electricity supply, the redevelopment of Ariaria International Market and the settlement of pension arrears.
Speaking during an interview on “The Clarity Zone Podcast” posted on YouTube on Wednesday night, the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate said: “I am telling you this for free, my call to come and save my people is a divine mandate. I will be the next governor of Abia State. Nothing is going to stop me. I am so sure, and I know it, because I am better than all of them. I am better. I have a conscience because I feel for the people and because I work with the grassroots. I refuse to see these so-called godfathers. I work with the grassroots.
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“The people I want to dine with are the local people, the common people in their villages. I have strength as well. I have the capacity. I am a very fearless person. Apart from being part of the Ikpeazu administration, I had access to the government. I was close to his government. I was close to the governor before him.
“I can get things done. I can submit my proposal for my film production, and they will approve it. I could decide to stay quiet and not talk about them or challenge their government, and I would be comfortable.”
Less privileged
Ms Ogala said her commitment to supporting the less privileged and advocating good governance predated her decision to seek the governorship. She noted that she played a pioneering role in the #EndSARS protest in the state.
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According to the actress, she had helped numerous people set up businesses, built homes for some beneficiaries and provided scholarships to more than 300 people.
“For the longest time, I have helped people behind closed doors. If you come to my state, aside from what you see on social media, go there off the record and ask around. The most recent case happened just about two months ago, shortly after I returned. I was driving out of my house, my house is very close to Nnamdi Kanu’s house; he is my brother, and I saw some women whose shops had been demolished.
“They said the deputy governor demolished their properties because he wanted to acquire the land, and they refused. When they told me that, I felt bad and compassionate. And to be honest, I did what I did because that is who Doris has always been. I gave each of them N200,000 to relocate. I have done this all my life. My kindness will speak for me. That is why I am so sure and confident that my people will vote for me as the next governor,” she added.
Manifesto and political career
Ms Ogala also spoke about her manifesto and the journey that shaped her political career.
According to her, she built the manifesto around her name, describing it as a cause that carried deep personal significance for her.
“Let me break it down. D stands for Decentralising Development. O stands for Ownership and Opportunity. R stands for Reliable Power and Rural Development. I stands for Innovative Education and Industrialisation. S stands for a Strong, Safe and Healthy Abia State.
“My conviction, not merely a belief, but a conviction, is that Abia deserves better. I served as Special Adviser to the previous administration on Creative Arts, Culture and Tourism two weeks before the election.
“I will say they contributed to the suffering we are facing today. In reality, I was appointed Special Adviser for just two weeks. They used my platform. They always come to people like me, use them during elections, and then dump us afterwards. For the next three years, they will not pick up your calls. They come back in the next election cycle because they know we have structure. They know the people love us. They know we are rooted in the grassroots. So I was appointed Special Adviser for just two weeks before his second term election.”
Ms Ogala alleged that Mr Ikpeazu appointed her as Special Adviser to the previous administration on Creative Arts, Culture and Tourism primarily to exploit her grassroots influence for his own benefit.
“They know my strength. I am the founder of the Abia State Ojeje Youth Movement, one of the largest youth groups in the state. They used me until the end, and we lost the election. They involved me only because they needed something from me, the grassroots.
For the three and a half years they governed, I was not part of it. The state government still owes me money, because I was officially appointed as Special Adviser and they never paid me.”
Electricity
She added that Abia State does not enjoy 24-hour electricity, arguing that Mr Otti’s administration did not execute the projects for which it now claims credit for improving power supply.
According to her, the administration also distanced itself from the persistent power outage, even after residents had endured nearly a month without electricity.
Ms Ogala said, “I want to tell you today that Ikpeazu initiated the electricity you see them claiming credit for. Then the incumbent governor, Alex Otti, came and inherited it. Within a few months, he started working on it without fully understanding what had been put in place, and then went public to announce that he had provided Abia State with 24-hour electricity.
READ ALSO: ‘I dare anyone to touch my billboard’ — Doris Ogala rejects ₦150m campaign fee
“Just a few weeks ago, there was a total blackout. I was so disappointed and embarrassed to see the incumbent governor of Abia State on a public stage claiming credit for giving Abia 24-hour electricity, only for Aba to go dark for more than three weeks.
“The so-called New Abia administration later admitted that the private sector manages power supply in Aba and is no longer under government control. They tried to distance themselves from the failure after selling the public a false narrative for so long.”
Otti’s administration
She further accused Mr Otti’s administration of failing to deliver any meaningful development to the people of Abia State.
Ms Ogala maintained that Mr Ikpeazu constructed the A-Line at Ariaria Market, challenging Mr Otti to dispute her claim if he believed she was wrong.
“He did not build Ariaria. The only section developed in Ariaria is the A-Line, which Ikpeazu built. John Okiyi was the commissioner at the time. I was part of that government. But because Ikpeazu did not have enough time to commission it officially, this man came in and claimed everything. I am not here to attack him, but the truth is that Alex Otti washed the entire Abia media space for a long time. I do not know how he did it, but he had a media team that pushed that narrative online, and people believed it. He is a social media governor. The reality on the ground is different.
“Just recently, pensioners came out publicly. This governor announced that he had cleared all pension arrears. I like speaking with proof; that is one thing you must know about Doris.
“That man whitewashed the situation. He never paid a kobo. He deceived them. The pensioners said they were deceived into signing documents waiving their entitlements, and they are not comfortable with what they signed.
“They had to drag him to court. Yet three months into his administration, he sold the story to the media that he had cleared all pension arrears. They never received a single payment.”
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