There had been denials and counter-denials about the governorship aspirations of diminutive banker, Alex Otti. Just last month, the former Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank caused a press statement to be issued describing as misleading and malicious reports suggesting and asserting that he was plotting and preparing to rule Abia State in 2015.
According to the statement,“While Otti is not unaware of pressure being brought upon him by various organisations to contest for the electoral seat based on his hard work, integrity, managerial ingenuity and track record of performance in the corporate world, the bank notes that he is currently focused on pursuing the vision of taking the bank to greater heights.” The statement added, “As a law abiding citizen, Dr. Otti is mindful of the electoral laws of the land and knows it is premature, if not illegal to, at this stage, take actions that are in breach of provisions of the electoral act. If in the future, Dr. Alex Otti decides to run for the governorship seat of Abia State, which becomes vacant in 2015, this will be made public and communicated to all stakeholders of the bank. We hope that this statement will serve to clear the air about the misleading press reports. The public is urged to ignore any information other than this from the bank.”
Despite this statement, the rumours never quite petered out because of Otti’s overt romance with political leaders in his state. Apparently riled or well, intimidated by his incursion into Abia politics, at a time when he held sway as GMD/CEO of Diamond Bank, a socio-political group, South East Progressives Assembly (SEPA), petitioned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, over Otti’s refusal to formally resign his position before his political foray and the alleged complicity of the bank in the project.
In a letter signed on behalf of SEPA by Hon. Ebere Uzoukwa, the group said it was constrained to write the CBN Governor because of Otti’s gross violation of banking rules and ethics and financial indiscipline unbecoming of a top professional banker.
The statement from SEPA further stated, “We had earlier raised concern over seeming cases of gross violation of banking rules and ethics, financial indiscipline and political rascality exhibited by Dr. Otti regrettably in the face of deceit and falsehood ostensibly employed by Diamond Bank probably to give tacit support to the ill-conceived governorship project of its GMD/CEO. Dr. Otti’s activities, to say the least, are now heating up the polity as well as threatening the prevailing peace currently existing in Abia state. It is also noteworthy to establish herein that SEPA is a stakeholder in Diamond Bank considering the volume of investments and deposit our members have committed in the bank with Dr. Otti as the chief custodian.” The CBN refused to act.
Early this morning, Diamond Bank, in a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, HRM Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (the Obi of Onitsha), announced the resignation of Otti while the former deputy managing director, Uzoma Dozie, was announced as the new GMD/CEO in consonance with the Bank’s succession strategy and in recognition of Mr. Dozie’s wealth of banking knowledge. Though the bank did not expressly adduce reasons for Otti’s resignation, it is public knowledge that it is political season in Nigeria already. So, why has Otti, despite his presumed integrity and forthrightness, been lying to Nigerians all along?
Even Abians are said to be disinclined to his sudden about-face on his actual origin. The Abia State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party has reportedly zoned the governorship seat to Abia South. Otti is known to be an indigene of Arochukwu in Abia North but for political expediency, now claims to hail from Umuru-Umuehim Nvosi, Isiala-Ngwa South LGA in Abia central zone. Many are now wondering and asking rhetorically; how many more lies will Otti, an otherwise First Class brain, spin in his bid to govern Abia?