A fresh political tussle is brewing in Abia State as Governor Alex Otti and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, square off in what insiders describe as exponentially increasing power struggle.
MUK TV reports that the latest flashpoint is Bende Local Government Area, the home Local Government of Kalu, where he had concluded arrangements to host his ‘Renewed Hope’ political programme on the Bende LGA council field.
The Deputy Speaker’s team had decorated the venue with banners and billboards.
However, in a move that shocked residents and political watchers alike, the state government reportedly imposed a lockdown on the council area, effectively shutting down the venue.
The lockdown forced an abrupt relocation of the programme to a private property owned by the Deputy Speaker himself, a development that adds to the whispers of political sabotage, rivalry and bad blood amongst the two political figures.
Sources say the incident has unmasked deepening rift between the governor and the federal lawmaker, turning what was once seen as a working political relationship into open tension.
Recall that the state government, through the Ministry of Lands and Housing, had seized the Renewed Hope Partners office in Umuahia, a campaign structure being championed by the Deputy Speaker.
What many observers now describe as a “marriage made in heaven” between the Abia Government and the Deputy Speaker appears to have taken a sharp turn “for worse,” with both sides accused of drawing battle lines and flexing political muscle.
Bende, Kalu’s political stronghold, has suddenly emerged as a hotbed of intrigue, with analysts warning that the confrontation could redefine alliances and power calculations in Kalu’s re-election bid to the National Assembly.
