Abians rise in support of Otti as political foes hurl verbal missiles at governor

Past political office holders in Abia State, under the aegis of Abia State Executive, National and State Legislative Members, on Friday, January 9, 2026 reaffirmed their commitment towards ensuring the success of the second term ambition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as working for the electoral victory of all All Progressive Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 general election.

The body comprising past governors, their deputies, senators, House of Representatives’ members, State Legislative body, and Executive Council members, also threatened to initiate legal proceedings against Governor Alex Otti, for the continued use of his personal residence, as official Government House.

However, this decision of former governors and their allies is not sitting well with majority of Abians who see the development as a distraction to Otti-led administration.

Read also: Otti reaffirms commitment to quality service 

They said that the actions of these past governors in Abia, only revealed the desperation of men, who fear slipping into irrelevance soon.

Eze Linus Nto Mbah, chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, condemned the outburst and verbal attacks against Governor Otti by former governor Orji Uzor Kalu.

Eze Linus Nto Mbah, while reacting to the public statements credited to Kalu, and a conspiracy meeting of a group of Abia politicians, convened, by Kalu, in Umuahia, the country-home of Theodore Orji, also a former governor of the state, said that the plot to unseat Otti in 2027 is dead on arrival.

The monarch said that 2027 election was a walk over for Governor Otti, giving his achievements so far.

He argued that the plot to stop the re-election of the governor is a plot to terminate the ongoing transformation in Abia State under the focused leadership of Governor Otti and would not stand.

According to Eze Mbah, Abians are happy and comfortable with the leadership style of Governor Otti and his transformative agenda, and are already poised to ensure he is reelected in 2027.

He noted that Governor Otti would receive overwhelming votes from pensioners, whose life have been rejuvenated, staff of agencies and parastatals, such as Health Management Board (HMB), Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA), Local Government workers, and teachers, who lost count of salaries owed them by past administrations, but now receive them on or before 28 of each month.

He said that Governor Otti has changed the face of the state and restored hope and prosperity to the people, through good policies.

“Within just over two years and a few months in office, Governor Otti has proven beyond reasonable doubt, that Abians made the right choice in 2023,” Mbah said.

He said that Governor Otti has done a lot in road infrastructure, waste management, healthcare delivery, education, security, workers’ welfare, electricity, among others.

Eze Mbah noted particularly, that the Umuahia-Uzuakoli Akara-Alayi-Abiriba Road that leads to Igbere, the home town of Orji Uzor Kalu was completely reconstructed by Governor Alex Otti, and wondered why Orji Uzor Kalu could have said that Governor Otti was just repainting roads.

He also listed other road projects in Abia North, including the iconic Omenuko Bridge, Ndiokereke-Abam-Amuvi-Arochukwu Road, Ohafia-Ihechiowa-Ututu-Arochukwu Road, which were long abandoned, even under Orji Uzor Kalu, as a governor and described the leadership of Governor Otti in Abia as unparalleled.

Eze Nto Mbah cautioned politicians to resist attempts and plots to “return Abia State to Egypt”, saying that under Governor Otti, Abia has been liberated.

“We Abians will not fold our hands and watch a reversal of the ongoing massive road infrastructure, revolution in education, healthcare, public service reforms, environment management and urban renewal, industrialisation, modern transportation systems, security, among others.

Read also: Reviving industries in Aba will address unemployment Otti

“Abians will resist every attempt to return Abia to Egypt. Governor Alex Otti, Chioma Ndi Abia, has fixed everywhere.

“Go to Aba and see what Governor Otti did in Port Harcourt Road and other roads in Aba, the Enyimba City. Look at how Umuahia has become the real state capital that it is supposed to be.

“Take a look at the newly introduced electric buses and the economy-boosting project like Umuahia Central Bus Terminal. You will know that Governor Otti is an intentional governor.”

A group under the aegis of The Diaspora Alliance for Good Governance (DAGG) has also condemned the reported threats by former governors of Abia State to pursue legal action against what they termed the “reform-driven administration” of Governor Alex Otti.

They described the actions of the former state governors as baseless, retrogressive, and ill-intentioned, representing a desperate attempt to derail the unprecedented progress now evident across Abia State after decades of misrule.

According to the group, “Such distractions will not succeed. Abia State has entered a new era defined by accountability, transparency, and competent leadership. An era firmly anchored by Governor Otti’s clear vision and disciplined execution.

“For more than two decades, Abians endured the crushing burden of failed governance: collapsed infrastructure, unpaid pensions, dysfunctional institutions, and the erosion of public trust. Yet, the people did not surrender.

“United at home and across the diaspora, they demanded change. That collective resolve produced the historic mandate Governor Otti now carries, a mandate for transformation, renewal, and responsible governance.”

They observed that Abia State under the administration of Governor Otti is reclaiming its rightful place, noting that public institutions are being rebuilt to serve the people rather than special interests.

“Public finance has been restored to integrity. Governance is once again grounded in prudence, merit, and service.

“Progress is no longer abstract: it is visible, measurable, and people centered. Across Abia’s towns and villages, roads are being reconstructed, schools renovated, hospitals revitalized, and new economic corridors unlocked. Strategic investments in education and healthcare are restoring dignity and expanding opportunity.

“The clearing of long-outstanding pension arrears neglected by the previous administrations stands as a powerful symbol of justice restored and hope renewed for those, who devoted their lives to public service. From Aba to Umuahia, from the most remote rural wards to urban centres, development is real, inclusive, and ongoing. The people see it, they feel it, and they trust it.

“That trust, once shattered, has been painstakingly rebuilt under Governor Otti’s stewardship.”

To those now issuing threats, the group reminded them that Abians have not forgotten the long years of decay and deprivation- they remember the struggle to reclaim their dignity, through the ballot box, and they remain resolute and united in defending the progress they have won.

The Diaspora Alliance for Good Governance affirmed with absolute certainty that Abians across the world stand firmly behind Governor Alex Otti.

“The global Abia community professionals, entrepreneurs, scholars, and public servants recognise genuine leadership and will continue to support this administration, through advocacy, investment, and civic engagement.

Read also: Nigeria stagnation is a direct result of rewarding mediocrity in leadership, Otti warns

“Let there be no doubt: Abia’s resolve is unshakable. The people will safeguard their mandate and ensure that Governor Otti completes his constitutionally permitted eight years in office, so that the rebuilding of Abia State can be fully realised,” they stated.

They called on all well-meaning stakeholders to rise above petty politics, respect the democratic will of the people, and join hands to advance the common good.

“History is no longer waiting. Abia State is moving forward, and no amount of intimidation can turn it back,” they stated.

David Ogba Onuoha, in a statement titled, ‘Can we just allow this Governor to breathe,’  said:  “Since the creation of Abia State, we have had Governors — men who carried the sacred mandate of leadership, but left behind records that today weigh on the conscience of our people.

“We had Orji Uzor Kalu, who came into power with youthful energy and political charm, but quickly abandoned the greater good for personal empire-building. The state stagnated under the burden of patronage and self-interest.

“We had Theodore Orji, who promised liberation, but ended up chaining Abia with policies that favored cronies over citizens, leaving roads broken, institutions hollow, and morale at its lowest.

“We had Okezie Ikpeazu, whose era was drowned in rhetoric, endless excuses, and cosmetic projects that never touched the true suffering of the people.

“I knew these men. I watched them closely. None of them can honestly be said to have governed with purpose. They pale in comparison to what we are witnessing in Abia State today. They only succeeded in enriching themselves, their families, and their loyalists — while the masses remained trapped in poverty, watching the rest of Nigeria march forward. They were clueless in the art of governance.”

He said that Abia State today, under Governor Alex Otti, has a different kind of leadership, noting that the state is currently witnessing something radically different.

In his words, “For the first time since 1999, Abia has a Governor, who came prepared, who understands governance, not as a stage for personal drama, but as a mission for collective upliftment.

“Governor Otti has shown intentional leadership — purposeful, thoughtful, and focused. He is repairing not just our roads, but our dignity. He is rebuilding not just infrastructure, but hope. He is redefining governance as service, not as an industry of plunder.

“Yet, instead of rallying behind this new dawn, opposition voices — the very architects of yesterday’s ruin are howling from every corner, desperate to distract him, to derail him, to suffocate progress.

He said that the framers of Nigeria’s constitution, imperfect as it may be, understood the need to shield the Chief Executive from incessant distractions and that is why they enshrined Immunity, not as a license for impunity, but as a breathing space for governance.

He said that the Otti-led administration in Abia has a track record that speaks, noting that roads that had become metaphors for abandonment are being reconstructed with quality never before seen in the State, salaries and pensions, once a nightmare for civil servants, are now prioritized and paid promptly, education and healthcare are no longer back-burner issues, but front-burner priorities.

Onuoha said that transparency and accountability are not empty slogans, but visible practices, affirming that investors, once flee Abia, are beginning to return, while the long-dreamed Abia Airport project, which Ikpeazu, his predecessor could not build, has now been brought back to life under Governor Otti, proving that where there is vision and will, there will always be a way.”

For Caleb Ajagba, chief of staff to Abia State Governor, Otti’s divine rescue mission in the state cannot be derailed, by political jobbers, no matter the energy they put into their selfish journeys.

Speaking Saturday at the Umuezegu Community Primary School, while addressing an enlarged meeting of his Ward 3 kinsmen in Isiala Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, in company of some top government officials, Ajagba expressed confidence that divine intervention, would frustrate any conspiracy and gang-up against the present Abia State Government.

He therefore, charged Abians to resist the moves being made by members of the opposition parties in the state against Governor Alex Otti, to shield the state from returning to the days of bad governance.

Ajagba, who emphasised that members of the opposition were bent on reversing the gains already made by the current Governor Alex Otti-led administration, condemned the renewed political opposition activities and attacks against Governor Otti, and questioned the credibility of those, who now claim to have the capacity to govern the State better than the Governor.

“Why is it now that the governor has come to create a sustainable roadmap for Abia, that they have suddenly realised they can do better?

“Why is it that for 24 years they couldn’t do it? What have they got again to offer? They have expired.

“They want to take us back to the era of bad governance, No, no, no, it can’t work,” Ajagba stated.

The Chief of Staff noted that the present administration inherited a level of decay that could have discouraged a less-prepared leader, and expressed delight that Governor Otti prepared and deliberately assembled a competent team to reverse decades of misrule in the state.

“The level of deterioration we met on ground when we came was unprecedented. It was enough to discourage someone who was not prepared for this job.

“The things they destroyed in 24 years, it took this man (Governor Otti) 24 months to fix. Govenor Alex Otti is on a divine rescue mission and nothing can stop the mission,” Ajagba stated.

Ginger Onwusibe, member, representing Isiala Ngwa North/South Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives, lauded Governor Otti for his giant strides and infrastructural development across Isiala Ngwa and other parts of the state.

He appreciated the governor for the construction and rehabilitation of critical road infrastructure in the area, including the Ntigha–Nbawsi–Eziala Road, Nbawsi–Agburuike–Umuomaiukwu Road, Avo–Umuerim Road, and Okpuala Ngwa–Obikabia Road, among others.

This is as he further thanked the Otti administration’s interventions in key sectors, such as health, education, security and transportation, noting that the recent migration of communities in Isiala Ngwa to the Geometrics Power, has brought uninterrupted electricity supply to the area, a development that has significantly improved the quality of life of the people.

Meanwhile, Tony Ukasanya, an elder statesman, has thrown his weight behind the second term ambition of Governor Alex Otti.

Speaking to newsmen at his country home, Ukasanya commended the exceptional performance of Governor Otti in office, adding that Abia has indeed witnessed a massive transformation, which justifies the clamour for the Governor to go for a second term and continue the good job he is doing.

Ukasanya, who was a founding member of the People’s Democratic party (PDP), former Board of Trustees member and state chairman of PDP, said that what Governor Otti has achieved in all sectors of the state in two years has surpassed what the former governors of Abia State under the PDP achieved in twenty-four years.

He said that Abians must not allow themselves to be taken back to the inglorious days of darkness and underdevelopment, but should stand firmly behind the governor, who has changed the story of the state and put Abia on the map amongst the fastest growing and developing states in Nigeria.

Ukasanya, who described opposition of different shades from people whose time in office left Abia in a state of depravity and quagmire as an exercise in futility, warned that Abians are no fools and would make a definitive statement with their votes for Governor Otti in the forthcoming 2027 general election.

He said Abians are happy with the governor and want to witness more transformational and development oriented leadership in the state, anchored on the governor’s avowed determination and commitment to leave the state far better than he met it.