Former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah has publicly defended his decision to support Abia State Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party, arguing that recognising effective governance is not a betrayal of his membership in the All Progressives Congress.
In a statement addressed to the people of Abia State, Ogah rejected suggestions that his position was driven by political ambition or personal desperation, insisting instead that it was grounded in observable progress across the state.
He cited infrastructure development, youth empowerment programmes, and civil service reforms as evidence of improved governance under Otti’s administration. He pointed specifically to roads receiving long-overdue attention, initiatives creating new opportunities for young people, and improvements in civil service conditions including prompt salary payments.
“These developments are not abstract projections; they are lived realities for Ndi Abia,” he said.
Ogah maintained that his APC membership remained firm and his commitment to the party’s values unwavering, but argued that loyalty to enduring principles must not be hostage to partisan rigidity. “It is neither improper nor unusual to support competence and effective leadership, even across political divides,” he said.
He called on political stakeholders to raise the standard of public discourse, focusing on policies, accountability, and performance rather than personal attacks and manufactured controversy.
