A sociopolitical group, Abia North Peace Foundation has said Governor Alex Otti is uneasy with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s decision to work for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
The group made the claim while reacting to recent statements by Governor Otti on the 2027 political contest in Abia State. It alleged that the Governor is opposed to President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that the tactics used against the President during the 2023 elections, including what it described as religious sentiments, would not succeed again in 2027.
Speaking for the Foundation, its Director-General, Chief Nnanna Ukaegbu, criticised what he described as contradictory statements coming from the Abia State Government, saying they reflected confusion at the top.
Ukaegbu noted that while Governor Otti said in one statement that he welcomed Senator Kalu’s 2027 political challenge, another statement threatened to “hand him a piercing defeat,” describing the mixed messages as evidence of an unsettled administration.
He questioned whether Governor Otti truly expected Senator Kalu to publicly turn against his party, the APC, in both the presidential and governorship elections, stressing that the Senator had always made his position clear about working for his party’s success.
“There is nothing unusual or threatening about a politician openly supporting his party,” Ukaegbu said, describing Senator Kalu’s stance as normal democratic practice.
The Foundation also claimed that Governor Otti appeared to be ignoring recent political history, recalling that he reportedly visited Senator Kalu on several occasions, including on the Thursday night before the governorship election. It added that many political leaders reached out to the Senator before the final declaration of the election results.
Ukaegbu further alleged that many government appointees in Abia were idle because, according to him, the Governor preferred to handle most issues personally. He advised the Governor to focus more on governance rather than political exchanges that, in his view, embarrassed the state.
While acknowledging that some officials in the Labour Party were new to politics, the Foundation said Senator Kalu was not known for empty threats or divisive politics, noting that he had maintained long-standing relationships across communities.
Describing Senator Kalu as an experienced politician, the group said he welcomed competition and had always earned his victories through hard work rather than political shortcuts.
The Foundation also revisited the 2023 elections, alleging that Governor Otti made several efforts to defeat Senator Kalu in Abia North but failed, despite benefiting from what it called the “Obi wave” that shaped that election.
It warned against what it described as unnecessary praise around the Governor, saying Otti became governor through collective efforts of many stakeholders, some of whom it claimed had since been sidelined.
According to the Foundation, Senator Kalu’s strongest support remained the people, whom it said could easily tell who had genuinely served them and who had not, adding that no amount of political messaging could change that perception.
