A group known as Alex Otti prayer network, in conjunction with Abia State students, have staged a peaceful demonstration to protest the reported attempt to assassinate in Abuja the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the last election.
It was reported that some gunmen went to Otti’s guest house intent on killing him. They ended up killing a policeman there.
The group which staged the demonstration at Ikputu village in Isiala Ngwa North, blocked the major road linking Aba with Umuahia carrying placards, some of which read, ‘Otti is the mandate; it’s a matter of time; No weapon fashioned against Otti will prosper.
There were others.
Speaking with reporters during the demonstration, the leader of the group Catchist Jonah said that the group is worried about the assassination attempt on Otti.
The protesters condemned the plot to kill Otti.
Jonah said that the people of Abia State who freely gave their mandate to Otti are not happy over the recent development where people tried to eliminate him because of politics.
He said that the people of the state are worried about the deplorable condition of the state and that they believe that Otti is the right person to correct the anomaly.
“That is the reason we gave him our mandate”.
Jonah said that the mandate given to Otii should not be toyed with, stressing that the youths of the state especially the students will not allow the mandate to be stolen.
The leader of the prayer network said that people like them should no longer stay back and watch things go wrong in the state.
“Therefore, we are pleading with traditional and religious leaders to join us in this race to liberate our state”.
Jonah said that the demonstration was going on simultaneously in other parts of the state to show their anger over the way some people tried kill a man in order to scuttle his ambition.
Jonah said their group has over 500 non-violent members, who nevertheless want the people of the state to be aware that things are not going the way they are supposed to be, politically.