The Abia State Government has thrown down the gauntlet to the Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, over his declaration that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would capture the state in the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the government said it welcomed Senator Kalu’s challenge but was confident that Governor Alex Otti would deliver a decisive defeat to the APC at the polls.
Kalu had boasted that Abia would become an APC state in 2027, stressing that although he is personally friendly with Governor Otti, he would only work for his party, President Bola Tinubu and any APC governorship candidate.
Responding, the Abia government said Governor Otti had never sought Senator Kalu’s support for re-election nor attempted to lure him away from the APC, describing the senator’s repeated emphasis on the issue as unnecessary and self-serving.
According to the statement, if Kalu’s remarks were intended to intimidate the governor, he had misjudged his target, noting that Governor Otti is not threatened by political posturing.
The government further challenged the former Abia State governor to publish his polling unit and ward results from the 2023 presidential and governorship elections, insisting that available INEC results showed the APC lost heavily in Bende Local Government Area, including in areas where its candidates contested.
“If Senator Kalu truly worked for his party and the President, why did the APC lose in his constituency in elections conducted on the same day?” the statement queried.
The government said the sweeping mandate that brought Otti to office in 2023 was based on public trust in his character, competence and manifesto, adding that his performance in less than three years has strengthened popular resolve to re-elect him.
“Having seen the scale of transformation under Governor Otti, Abia people now regard him as their best political party,” the statement said, describing his re-election bid as “a divine project.”
Ekeoma also took a swipe at Kalu over the reported entry of his younger brother into the 2027 governorship race, recalling that he placed last when he contested the 2023 election under the Action People’s Party.
He added that no fewer than four aspirants had indicated interest in contesting the Abia North senatorial seat on the platform of the Labour Party, assuring that whoever emerges from the primaries would enjoy the governor’s backing.
The statement concluded that while the Abia government welcomes political competition ahead of 2027, it remains convinced that the APC would suffer a resounding defeat in the state.
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