Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has drawn the ire of some Southeasters after he kicked against the creation of additional states.
This comes as the South-East continues to demand for at least an extra two states to be at par with the other regions in the country.
During the Constitutional review public hearings held in Enugu and Imo states, push for state creation topped the agenda.
Both Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma all demanded for more states for the South-East.
However, it was a different thing for Alex Otti as he vehemently rejected creation of additional states, questioning their viability.
This has not gone down well with the immediate-past Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne.
In a statement released on Thursday in Abuja by his media aide, Chiagoziem Enoch, Ikonne said, "But for those who know the Abia governor, that occasion afforded him the golden opportunity to express his deep resentment and vendetta against a section of Abia who must not be allowed the casual luxury of an innocuous boast of being the indigenes of Aba."
He further stressed that the clear marginalisation of Ndi Igbo has continually provided the canvas upon which the agitation for a sovereign nation for Ndi Igbo has rested.
"It is therefore worrisome that Gov. Otti, who should be in the frontline with the likes of Senator Uzodinma in leading the agitation for the creation of an additional state for Abia to address this abnormality, is the one leading the gang to frustrate the actualisation of an additional state for the South East," he stated.
Also reacting, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike described Otti’s stand as embarrassing.
Okwu said it was strange that when every Igbo person’s sing-song was the demand for additional states, Otti chose to stand against the masses.
“What we are talking about is that we have been shortchanged for years; what about the number of Senators, Reps, House of Assembly members that we have? These are all determined by the number of states.
“What about the number of local government areas we have? The sharing of federal allocation is also determined by this. So, what exactly is Gov Otti talking about?
“Is he saying that Ndigbo should continue to be marginalized? What makes him think that the additional states won’t be viable?
“To say the least, for this to come from him, we are highly disappointed in him.
“We urge the National Assembly to ignore his likes and go ahead to justice to the popular demand of the people. This is the only way to restore parity and give Ndigbo a sense of justice and equity,” Okwu said when reached by our correspondent.