Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, has credited God and Abians for his tribunal court victory and asked his rivals to lay down their swords and work alongside him to build the state.

The Governor commended Abians for their overwhelming support before, during, and after the election as he celebrated the victory on Saturday in his Nvosi Country residence in the Isiala Ngwa South LGA.

He extended a kind hand to them and said, “My recommendation to my opponents is that this is an excellent time for them to put down their weapons and work with me to build our state, Abia.

“Anyhow you slice and dice it, it costs a lot of money to engage in litigation. While I will not ask them to bring the money to me I would advise that each of them have villages that are dilapidating, without roads, without water and I believe that their communities will appreciate it if they would channel those resources into building roads in their villages and communities.”

Otti added that the resources can be used in providing pipe-borne water and ensuring that this state remains peaceful for the benefit of its inhabitants, asserting that his victory shouldn’t have been contested in the first place and expressing joy that the wishes of the people have come to fruition.

“If you follow the election and everything that happened thereafter, you will know that quite frankly, this victory shouldn’t have been contested in the first place, but then, I also do not deny my opponents their rights to go to court”, he said and thanked the jurists and all those who ensured that justice prevailed in the end.

The governor congratulated God for the victory and promised to continue serving Abians faithfully. He characterized the victory as a reflection of the sacrifice made by Abians in the 2023 governorship race.