Dare Babalola
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Okutepa, has praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti for naming the Umuahia Bus Terminal after Prof. Nnenna Oti, the returning officer in the 2023 Abia governorship election.
In a statement on Thursday, Okutepa described the gesture as recognition of integrity and courage in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The senior lawyer said Prof. Oti’s refusal to compromise the integrity of the election played a key role in Otti’s emergence as governor, despite alleged pressures and intimidation during the collation process.
According to him, Prof. Oti and Governor Otti are not related, stressing that her conduct during the election was not influenced by personal or financial interests.
The senior lawyer described electoral integrity as the foundation of democratic growth and argued that Abia residents had benefited from Prof. Oti’s principled stance through what he called the governor’s visible performance in office.
Okutepa said Governor Otti’s achievements in Abia were evident and did not require extensive publicity campaigns, adding that good governance should be visible to the people.
He also lamented what he described as the role of some compromised academics in undermining Nigeria’s electoral process, alleging that several qualified leaders were denied electoral victories because of manipulated results announced by corrupt officials.
The SAN recalled that the introduction of professors as returning officers during the tenure of former Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, was intended to strengthen credibility in elections.
However, he said the reality had fallen short of expectations, accusing some academics of aiding electoral malpractice in exchange for financial inducements.
Quoting a social media commentator, Okutepa described Prof. Nnenna Oti as “a shining example of what an academic should be in character,” contrasting her conduct with that of others accused of compromising electoral integrity.
He commended both Prof. Oti and Governor Otti, saying Nigeria would improve if integrity, honesty and truth guided public service and leadership.
