Abia State Governor Alex Otti has stated that political party affiliation and state of origin play no role in his administration's appointments. He made the remarks during the wedding ceremony of his Aide-de-Camp, Emeka Ogbonna, at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia on Saturday. The statement was later confirmed in a Sunday release by Ukoha Njoku, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor. Otti emphasized that competence and capacity are the main criteria for employment and appointments in the state.
He said he did not know his ADC's state of origin when he appointed him. "What gave him the job is merit. At the time I decided to give him the job, I didn't know where he came from," Otti stated. He added that party membership is irrelevant, saying, "We don't care whether she's APC or PDP or YPP or whatever. Those are not important. We don't even care whether she's from Abia or from Delta or from anywhere. We are interested in what is in her brain."
Otti cited the appointment of Dr. Ezinne Benjamin-Kalu as Chairman of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital Management Board as an example. He said seven candidates underwent a rigorous interview process, and Dr. Benjamin-Kalu emerged first by a wide margin. The governor affirmed that the same merit-based approach applied to the recruitment of over 5,000 teachers and the planned hiring of 4,000 more.
Alex Otti claims he appointed Dr. Ezinne Benjamin-Kalu without regard to origin or party, yet her name and qualifications were the only ones disclosed among seven candidates, raising questions about transparency. His assertion that "we want results" rings hollow when the process lacks public verification. If merit is truly the standard, then full details of all candidates' evaluations should be accessible. Secrecy around the other six interviewees undermines the credibility of the claim.
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