Pensioners from the Concerned Abia State Pensioners organised a city-wide celebration in Umuahia, the state capital, to celebrate the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) loss in the gubernatorial election.
They termed the PDP’s loss in the state’s gubernatorial and National Assembly elections as God’s particular method of punishing the umbrella party for supposedly causing grief to Abia’s retirees.
The retirees, who were dressed entirely in white during their celebratory march through the streets of Umuahia, claimed Dr Alex Otti’s win on March 18 was an answer to prayer from God.
The retirees, who carried banners emblazoned with various articles, said that the departing administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu treated them like slaves by owing them more than 30 months of pensions.
This is despite the fact that they have accused the PDP-led administrations of neglecting to pay them gratuities for more than 20 years, adding that many retirees have died of starvation, disease, or despair, or have been forced to migrate to villages by the landlords to whom they owed.
Apart from that, the retirees said that the few months of pension they got were split in half, despite the state administration announcing on the radio that they were paid in full.
They described prior and current state finance commissioners as utter failures from 2015 to the present.
Some of the pensioners, Chief Benson Uwaka, Mrs Obiageri Ahuoma, and Elder James Igbokwe, claimed their prayers were answered by God via the triumph of the Labour Party.
Clanging bells and dancing, the retirees marched from Bende road to the NUJ press centre/Abia tower intersection and Isi gate junction before arriving at Okpara square.
They chanted Taa bu ubochi onu Hallelujah (Today is a joyful day, Hallelujah), PDP laa nke oma Labour Party nnoo. (PDP goodbye, Labour Party welcome).
The pensioners expressed gratitude to Governor-elect Dr Alex Otti for agreeing to pay their outstanding pensions, and they prayed to God to bless and protect the former banker.
“Before now, we used to protest and cry on the streets of Umuahia while dressed in black, but today, you can see that we are dressed in white to confirm that we are happy that this administration that treated us like slaves is leaving,” Elder Igbokwe told newsmen.
