Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has faulted the Abia North Senator, Orji Kalu, over his recent remarks that he would ensure that the All Progressives Congress (APC) takes over Abia in 2027.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Kalu, a member of the APC, recently vowed to do all within his powers to deliver Abia to the party in the 2027 general elections.
But Mr Otti, in a statement by his media aide Ferdinand Ekeoma, on Monday, said Mr Kalu’s frequent statement that he would support the would-be APC candidate, rather than the governor, in the 2027 Abia State governorship poll had become “pedestrian and ludicrous.”
The Abia governor, a member of the Labour Party (LP) under which he was elected in 2023, said he has never asked Mr Kalu to support his re-election bid or appealed to him to work against his party and their would-be governorship candidate in 2027.
Mr Otti said Mr Kalu is committing “a calamitous blunder of costly consequences” if his repeated statements are meant to threaten him. “Threats toughen rather than frighten or weaken Governor Otti,” the statement said.
He said the APC, which Mr Kanu backed, lost “woefully” during the 2023 governorship and presidential elections across all polling units and wards within Bende LGA of Abia State, where the senator hails from.
“At this point, we challenge Senator Kalu to produce his unit and ward results in the last governorship and presidential elections.
“The question is, if he truly worked for the president and his party, why did the President lose in his constituency while he won in the election conducted on the same day?” he stated.
“Again, those who genuinely want to support their party and candidates do not make unnecessary noise about it, rather they show it through hard work and sincere dedication.”
Mr Otti boasted that, considering how he was voted for in 2023 under the LP, the Abia people would still support and vote “massively for him or any other candidates or party he directs them to vote for” in 2027 because of the “enduring transformation” he had brought to the state since becoming governor.
“It would be strange if Senator Kalu has yet to realise that Abia people see Governor Alex Otti as their best political party, and his re-election as a divine project that must be executed with courage, passion and precision,” he argued.
The governor also mocked Mr Kalu for “drafting” his younger brother, Mascot Kalu, into the 2027 governorship race in Abia State, saying the same person contested in the 2023 election under the platform of the Action Peoples Party but came last at the poll.
‘I’ll support LP senatorial candidate to unseat Orji Kalu in 2027’ – Otti
Mr Otti also pointed out that, at the moment, “four capable and formidable senatorial aspirants” had indicated their intention to run for the Abia North District seat under the LP in 2027.
The governor vowed that he would “massively support” whoever emerges as the LP candidate for the district to unseat Mr Kalu during the forthcoming 2027 senatorial election in the south-eastern state.
Background
Some APC members in Abia State have been threatening to ensure victory for the party in the 2027 governorship election to unseat Mr Otti.
For instance, apart from Mr Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has repeatedly vowed to ensure that Abia State becomes an APC state by 2027.
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Mr Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, claimed that it is odd that, despite his position as Deputy Speaker, his state remains under the control of the LP.
The federal lawmaker at a recent event asked Governor Otti to switch over to the APC ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Meanwhile, the governor has yet to declare his interest, although there are indications that he will seek reelection in 2027.
Sworn in on 29 May 2023, his first tenure will elapse by 29 May 2027.
