Abia State’s Labour Party governorship candidate, Dr. Alex Otti, has promised to pay all workers’ outstanding salaries and pensions before the end of December 2023 if voted into office.

The current Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government, led by Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, owes workers and retirees many months of salary and pension arrears. Recently, doctors in the state’s service embarked on indefinite strike for non-payment of salary arrears of over 25 months. Pensioners are reportedly owed up to 56 months in arrears. Speaking on a campaign stop at Uzuakoli, Bende Council, where he met and interacted with some members of the Alex Otti Support Group, Otti promised to right the wrongs of the past, adding that his government would be people-oriented. He thanked the group for spending its resources to support him and the Labour Party in the state. He described Uzuakoli as a prominent community in Abia, but has been deliberately underdeveloped by successive governments. He promised that under his watch as governor of the state, Uzuakoli would take a place of pride, as he would work to implement the town’s masterplan, which has been confined to the shelves.

He reiterated his campaign promise to rebuild the state’s economy through industrialisation, creation of wealth and jobs, improving the human capital in the civil service and paying outstanding salaries and pensions owed by the government, before the end of December 2023. Otti told the people not to be discouraged by the non-declaration of Peter Obi as the winner of the presidential election, held on February 25, saying it was not yet over as Obi has sworn to reclaim his mandate.