Otti who was speaking at a recent meeting with some select church
leaders at Amuda and isuochi communities in umunneochi local government
area of Abia State, against the scathing remarks by a clergyman with
Assemblies of God church, about the festering economic hardship his
parishioners are undergoing due to non payment of their salaries, while
on campaign tour in the areas.
He regretted that pastors and other leaders within the Christendom are
now the ones who bear the brunt of what appears to be a deliberate
policy of the Peoples Democratic Party controlled government by Governor
Okezie Ikpeazu to impoverish public servants in the state, especially
teachers who are owed many months of salary arrears.
His words: “I can relate to what you have said because if you’re
pastoring teachers and they have not been paid, how can they support
themselves. So, what will happen is that Church leaders like you will be
the ones supporting the teachers.
“If a teacher comes to you today and say, pastor, my family has not
eaten; if it is just N500 you have in your pocket, you will give it to
him. You are the one now paying tithes to him. So, that’s what it is”.
Continuing, Otti also maintained that his quest to govern Abia state was
not borne out of personal enrichment but earnest desire to rescue the
state from the hands of PDP vampires, who according to him, have
continued to prey on the state’s rich wealth at the expenses of its
citizens.
Otti who further used the opportunity to reel out Labour Party’s lofty
plans to develop Abia state, which include job and wealth creation,
provisions of necessary basic Infrastructure and payment of outstanding
salaries, pensions and gratuities of workers and retirees.
The Abia gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party was flanked by his
wife, running mate, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, and the Coordinator of the
State Campaign Council, Hon Acho Obioma during the meeting with