A fresh political twist has hit Abia State as Governor Alex Otti approves the reconstitution of the board of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), appointing Dr. Ezinne Chinyere Benjamin-Kalu, wife of Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, as chairperson.
The appointment, confirmed in a statement issued by Secretary to the State Government, Emmanuel Meribole, takes immediate effect and has already stirred political conversations across the state.
Beyond the official explanation of strengthening governance and improving healthcare delivery, the appointment is widely seen as a substantial proof of a growing alliance between Otti and Kalu, an open secret now playing out in full public glare.
Observers recall how the Deputy Speaker’s wife publicly praised the governor during his recent birthday celebration, raising eyebrows among political watchers who view Kalu as a major contender in the upcoming 2027 power contest.
The newly constituted board features a mix of top medical and administrative figures, with Prof. Nneka Chioma Okoronkwo as Chief Medical Director, alongside other key members drawn from the health and academic sectors.
Governor Otti, in his charge to the appointees, urged them to justify the confidence placed in them by repositioning the institution into a hub of excellence in healthcare, research, and medical training.
ABSUTH, based in Umuahia, remains a critical medical institution in the South-East, but one weighed down by years of funding gaps, poor infrastructure, and staff welfare concerns, issues the new board is now under pressure to confront head-on.
