Will Alex Otti be Second Time Lucky?
Fortune favours the bold and prepared. Venturing into politics, especially as played in Nigeria, will either leave one with burnt fingers or a flourishing success. But then, one must not quit at first failed attempt if one truly has their eye on the goal. This must have been the motivation behind Alex Otti’s obstinate approach to his gubernatorial dream, as he once again, has indicated his readiness to declare for the Abia State governorship election. The former Managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc, took to his Twitter handle last Tuesday inviting the public to his declaration under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which held on Friday in Aba. Alex Otti surprised not quite a few people when he dumped his enviable banking career to take a plunge into the murky waters of politics in 2015. Otti was given his first baptism of fire when, in the election adjudged as heavily manipulated, he was trounced by the incumbent governor, Okezie Ikpeazu. Adamant and deeply convinced that he was rigged out, Otti headed to the election tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court to get a favourable verdict that would see him returned as duly elected governor. It ended as a pipe dream for Harvard Business School-trained economist, as he lost in all the courts despite sinking huge resources in litigation. Otti is on the march against the incumbent who has also signified his intention to seek a second term. If it was daunting in 2015 for Otti to defeat Ikpeazu who had the back of the then outgoing Governor Orji Kalu in 2015, it has become more Herculean to see him (Ikpeazu) defeated now he himself has direct access to resources to fund his reelection as the incumbent. Otti would have to deploy more than he did in 2015 to 2019 general election in spite of his depleted wealth. Not only was Otti doing extremely well as a professional, he was at the peak of his career as the number one man at Diamond Bank Plc when the urge for politics arrested him and made him drop the curtain on a career that catapulted him to national reckon and global accolades, as he won multiple individual awards and corporate ones for the bank. The haste with which he resigned left many bewildered. Reports had it that a good number of his friends and well-wishers reached out to him and advised him against the decision but he was already too consumed by his ambition to give a listening ear to any other voice.