Gov Otti, Orji Kalu trade words over 2027 runs

The political rivalry ahead of the 2027 general election in Abia State intensified on Wednesday as Governor Alex Otti and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu exchanged sharp words over their respective parties’ prospects and influence in the state.

Governor Otti, of the Labour Party (LP), warned the senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to brace for what he described as a “crushing defeat” in 2027. Kalu, a former Abia governor, had recently declared that the APC would reclaim the state in the next election cycle, insisting he would mobilise support for the party’s candidates.

Responding in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti dismissed Kalu’s claims and denied ever seeking his support for a second term. He said he had neither approached the senator for electoral backing nor attempted to persuade him to work against the APC or its anticipated governorship candidate in 2027.

The governor described Kalu’s repeated public emphasis on refusing to support him as “pedestrian and ludicrous”, arguing that genuine party loyalty is demonstrated through hard work rather than loud declarations.

Otti also challenged the senator to publicly release his polling unit and ward results from the 2023 governorship and presidential elections, particularly in Bende Local Government Area, where Kalu hails from.

He questioned how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lost in Kalu’s constituency during the presidential poll, while Kalu himself won his senatorial election held on the same day, if the senator had indeed worked effectively for the APC.

The governor further disclosed that four aspirants had already declared interest in contesting the Abia North Senatorial seat on the platform of the Labour Party. He said whoever emerges from the party’s primaries would enjoy his full backing in the 2027 elections.

In a swift response, Senator Kalu dismissed Otti’s remarks, saying the APC did not need the governor to win Abia in 2027. In a statement issued by his media aide, George Maduka, Kalu reaffirmed his determination to deliver the state for the APC, insisting the party remained united and solid in Abia.

The statement argued that the Labour Party, not the APC, was grappling with internal crises, alleging that several LP local government chairmen were now operating from other political platforms, including the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Kalu also challenged Otti to deny claims that he visited his residence in Igbere late at night on the eve of the 2023 election. He further alleged that key figures in the LP’s 2023 campaign, including Chief Umeh Kalu (SAN) had held discussions with him over the governorship race.

The senator accused Otti of overrating his political relevance, insisting that broad stakeholder intervention was required before he eventually emerged governor in 2023.

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