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OTTI RECALLS 2015 ABUJA ATTACK, SAYS HIS EARLY DEPARTURE SAVED HIS LIFE
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has spoken about a 2015 incident in Abuja that he described as an assassination attempt, saying he believes his decision...
By Wavers Multimedia
Otti shared the account during the Abia Solemn Assembly and Covenant Renewal Service held in Umuahia on Thursday night. The state government organised the gathering under the theme “Remembering the Covenant.”
The governor used the occasion to reflect on his political journey, including the period when he was challenging the result of the 2015 Abia governorship election at the tribunal.
A DECISION TO LEAVE ABUJA
Otti said the incident occurred in July 2015, when he was in Abuja attempting to arrange a meeting with someone.
According to his account, the meeting was repeatedly postponed and eventually failed to take place.
He then decided to leave Abuja the following day and return to Owerri, despite objections from friends who wanted him to remain in the capital.
Otti said he eventually gave his friends a different explanation for the trip, telling them that he wanted to be at the tribunal on Friday. He recalled that there was only one flight from Abuja to Owerri at the time.
After leaving the city, the incident he later described as an assassination attempt occurred that night.
ATTACKERS SEARCHED FOR OTTI
Otti said armed men attacked his residence in Abuja and killed two policemen who were there.
He said the attackers were looking for him but could not find him because he had already left.
After failing to locate him inside the property, the men apparently believed that he was still somewhere on the premises and continued their search.
The governor said the attackers moved into an adjoining compound in Maitama and searched the building there as well.
He said he later learned that the group numbered about 12 people.
OTTI ATTRIBUTES ESCAPE TO GOD
Looking back at the incident, Otti said he could not identify an obvious reason why he had needed to leave Abuja at that particular time.
He said his departure therefore strengthened his belief that God had intervened to remove him from the location before the attack.
The governor connected the experience to his decision to maintain his faith while pursuing a political career.
He said some people around him had tried to discourage him from entering politics, while others suggested that he should seek protection through traditional means and other spiritual practices.
GOVERNOR RECALLS HIS DECISION TO SERVE GOD
Otti said he rejected those suggestions and remained committed to his decision to serve God.
He referred to the biblical passage in Joshua 24:15, which speaks about choosing whom to serve and includes the declaration that he and his household would serve the Lord.
The governor said the lesson he drew from the passage was that people have to make a conscious decision about whom they will serve.
He added that his experience in 2015 reinforced his conviction about the path he had chosen and that his administration would continue along what he described as a path of faith and service.
ABIA GOVERNMENT RENEWS ITS COMMITMENT
The solemn assembly also provided an opportunity for officials to reflect on the state government's journey since Otti became governor.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Uzor Nwachukwu said Otti and his team observed seven days of fasting and prayer after securing victory in the 2023 governorship election as part of efforts to rededicate Abia to God.
Nwachukwu said the government had returned three years later to give thanks and commit the next political dispensation to God.
CLERGYMAN URGES MORE WORK IN ABIA
Lead Pastor of Transforming Church International, Dr. Sam Oye, commended Otti and his administration during his homily but said more work remained to be done.
Oye highlighted road infrastructure, healthcare, education, fiscal responsibility and land reforms among areas where he said the administration had recorded milestones.
He nevertheless urged the government to continue working on further reforms and development.
He called for greater attention to industrial and agro-processing corridors and emphasised the need to strengthen institutions across the state.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ATTEND THE SERVICE
Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, senior government officials and clergymen were among those present at the gathering.
The programme included prayers, praise and worship, ministrations and exhortations from religious leaders.
For Otti, the event also became an opportunity to revisit an episode from his early political journey that he believes could have ended his life had he remained in Abuja that night.