Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former 2nd Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. M.O. Ubani, has declared that Abia State, which for years stood “perpetually in the dock, charged with gross offences like misgovernance, abuse of public trust, and reckless disregard for the welfare of its citizens,” has been redeemed under the leadership of Governor Alex Otti.
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Ubani made this declaration in a dinner speech delivered at the just concluded Eastern Bar Forum Quarterly Meeting held in Umuahia, the State Capital of Abia State, between January 23 and 25, 2026.
Using legal metaphors throughout his address, the senior lawyer painted a damning picture of Abia’s governance history before the current administration.
“If Abia were a litigant, it would be fair to say that for many years, it stood perpetually in the dock, charged with gross offences like misgovernance, abuse of public trust, and reckless disregard for the welfare of its citizens. The evidence was overwhelming. And for a long time, there was no good defence counsel in sight,” Ubani stated.
He outlined the evidence of misgovernance that characterized previous administrations:
“For years workers were owed salaries and pensions, sometimes stretching into double-digit months, turning civil servants into involuntary creditors of the state. The road infrastructure collapsed so badly that potholes developed their own local government status. Public hospitals resembled crime scenes, where patients entered alive and prayed to come out with life intact. Judicial funding was treated as a favour, not as a constitutional obligation. Budgeting became a ritual without performance, more ceremonial than consequential.”
The senior advocate noted that Abia’s finances were opaque, its institutions deliberately weakened, and its people conditioned to expect little or nothing.
“In legal terms, governance became an ex parte affair where decisions were taken without the people, without transparency, and certainly without accountability. One could rightly say that Abia was governed not by policy, but by motions without any written address in compliance with the rules,” he declared.
Turning to the transformation under Governor Alex Otti, Ubani described the governor as “outstanding defence counsel” who came with a different approach to governance.
“Then came Alex Otti, outstanding defence counsel. He did not come with political drama, but with spreadsheets. He did not come with slogans, but with systems. Otti came with no excuses, but with execution,” the senior lawyer stated.
“As Abia’s governance was on trial, Otti did not seek any unnecessary adjournment, he announced his readiness to proceed with trial. Within two years plus, the case file changed dramatically and Abians got favourable judgement for the first time in their political and economic history.”
Ubani highlighted specific achievements of the Otti administration that have transformed the state:
“Under Governor Otti, governance became evidential as Abia began to experience what lawyers appreciate most: predictability. Salaries are now paid as and when due, a revolutionary act in a polity once addicted to arrears. Pension backlogs, once treated as inherited liabilities to be ignored, are now systematically addressed. For the first time, Abia’s public finance is governed by priorities, not by patronage.”
He noted that in courtroom terms, the era of “my Lord, we are not ready” became taboo under the current administration.
On infrastructure, the senior advocate stated: “Roads that were long abandoned became rehabilitated across Aba, Umuahia, and major arteries of the state. These are not cosmetic overlays but durable projects that are tied to economic productivity. Urban renewal restored something that can be considered priceless: confidence! Confidence that taxes are working, confidence that government is present and confidence that Abia is now open for serious business.”
As a lawyer, Ubani paid particular attention to the treatment of the judiciary under the Otti administration.
“For us as lawyers, the issue of judiciary and rule of law are personal. Otti’s administration understands that the judiciary is not a department and that it is a co-equal arm of government. Today in Abia court orders are respected and judicial funding has improved tremendously. The rule of law is treated not as legal theory but as governance infrastructure.”
He also commended reforms in the civil service: “In Abia today, civil servants are no longer spectators in governance. Merit, structure, and accountability now define the civil service. Files in public offices now move. Decisions are traceable. Systems now outlive personalities. In legal terms, Abia has shifted from government by affidavit to government by proof (evidence).”
Ubani argued that Abia’s transformation has quietly redefined governance expectations across the old Eastern Region, if not the entire country.
“It has reminded us that: Good governance is not mystical, leadership and competence is not elitist and most importantly, integrity is not anti-politics. Abia has become living evidence that Nigeria’s governance crisis is not incurable, it merely requires the right diagnosis and disciplined treatment with focused leadership in place.”
However, the senior advocate issued a strong warning and call to action to his colleagues in the legal profession.
“For us as members of the Eastern Bar Forum being hosted by the Attorney-General of Abia State, Ikenna Uwanna, SAN, we must resist the temptation to clap without conscience. Our duty is clear: To defend institutions and to insist on accountability. But most importantly to protect reforms gained so far from political relapse. We should know that bad governance, like a recalcitrant defendant, is always seeking a loophole through adjournment.”
He cautioned: “Good governance, like a good judgment, can be overturned if not protected. As lawyers from Abia, we must move beyond applause. We must become custodians of this reform, defending institutions, insisting on accountability, and resisting any attempt to return Abia to the era of governance by affidavit rather than proof. We can’t afford to go back to Egypt. It is suicidal!”
Expanding his message beyond Abia, Ubani challenged lawyers across Nigeria to become more politically active.
“Let me remind lawyers from other states that we must stop complaining in chambers and start acting in constituencies. If your state is not working, don’t just file cases endlessly in court, go back to your ward and change the narratives or file for office. If bad governance persists, don’t merely lament, enter the ring. Democracy, like litigation, favours those who show up with courage but prepared.”
He emphasized that the Otti example proves that “technocrats can govern, that integrity is electable, and that competence is not anti-politics. Lawyers, trained in logic and public reasoning, have no excuse for political apathy.”
The senior advocate concluded with an urgent message about the approaching 2027 elections.
“Abia has won its case, at least at this trial level. The rest of Nigeria is watching the appeal. Trust us, we will also win at that level. The question for lawyers is simple: Will we remain spectators in a failing system, or will we finally rise as advocates for governance that works? 2027 is too close for comfort. We must not sleep with two eyes closed. It is too dangerous for such indulgence. We must defend our GAINS!”
He ended with the declaration: “As lawyers will say, the court is now in session. All eyes must be on the file (ball).”
The speech, delivered before the dinner commenced at the Eastern Bar Forum event, received acclaim from the lawyers in attendance, many of whom echoed Ubani’s call for legal practitioners to become more actively involved in defending democratic institutions and good governance.
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