SStakeholders and residents across Abia State have condemned what they described as a coordinated move by opposition politicians to undermine and unseat Governor Alex Otti, insisting that the state will not be taken back to an era of stagnation and misrule.
The reactions followed recent public statements attributed to a former governor of the state and current senator representing Abia North, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, as well as a meeting of opposition figures reportedly convened in Umuahia against the Otti administration.
Speaking at different fora, Abians accused the opposition of attempting to discredit the governor despite what they described as visible achievements recorded by his administration within about 30 months in office.
Governor Otti, speaking at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Umuoriehi, headquarters of the Abia North Conference in Umuahia North Local Government Area, urged residents to ignore the activities of the opposition, describing them as distractions.
“Let us dismiss it as noise. It is only the empty barrel that makes the loudest noise,” Otti said, adding that his administration would remain focused on governance and service delivery.
Quoting from the Bible, the governor said gatherings not ordained by God would not succeed, stressing that his government was committed to changing the narrative of governance in Abia State.
“We will continue to do what we are doing. They are not talking about the Abia people; they are talking about themselves,” he said.
Earlier in his sermon, the President of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Abia North–Central Conference, Pastor Kennedy Ihuoma, urged leaders, particularly those in public office, to act as vision interpreters who would work in the best interest of the people.
The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, also called on Abians to resist what he described as attempts by failed political actors to derail the current administration.
Addressing a town hall meeting at Umuezegu Community Primary School in Isiala Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Ajagba said the opposition was bent on reversing the gains recorded by the Otti administration.
“Why is it that for 24 years they could not fix Abia, but now that a governor has come with a clear roadmap, they suddenly claim they can do better?” Ajagba asked.
He said the present administration inherited massive decay but had within a short time made remarkable progress in infrastructure, governance and public service delivery.
“What was destroyed in 24 years took Governor Otti about 24 months to begin fixing,” he said, describing the administration as a “divine rescue mission.”
Also reacting, the Chairman of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Dr Linus Nto Mbah, dismissed the alleged plot to stop Otti’s re-election in 2027, describing it as futile.
According to him, Abians are comfortable with the leadership style and developmental agenda of Governor Otti and are determined to re-elect him.
“Any attempt to stop Governor Otti is an attempt to terminate the ongoing transformation in Abia State, and Abians will not allow it,” Eze Mbah said.
He cited projects such as the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road in Aba, improved road networks in Umuahia, the introduction of electric buses and the Umuahia Central Bus Terminal as evidence of purposeful leadership.
Warning against a return to the past, the monarch said Abians would resist any effort to take the state back to an era of unpaid salaries, decaying infrastructure and abandoned schools and hospitals.
He urged residents to remain united and sustain their support for the governor, insisting that Abians made the right choice in 2023 and would reaffirm it in the 2027 elections.
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