The Abia State Labour Party House of Representatives Caucus has condemned the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, over his recent claim that Governor Alex Otti’s administration has underperformed.
In a press statement on Wednesday, the caucus said Kalu’s remarks, made during an All Progressives Congress event in Umuahia on Sunday, were “unguarded and unhealthy” and accused him of deliberately peddling falsehoods to discredit the Otti-led government.
At the event, the Deputy Speaker criticized Governor Otti’s performance and declared the APC’s intention to take over Abia State in 2027.
“I’m an opposition member in Abia state. We can be friends or family, but as long as we are from different political parties, our job is to be the watchdog of the administration,” Kalu said.
“As opposition leader in my state, I must speak for the masses. The job done so far by the state government is not enough. You cannot be getting the kind of money you’re getting and doing the job that former governors who got less were doing. You can’t be delivering what a former governor used N4 billion or less to do.”
The Deputy Speaker further declared, “Let me tell you, get ready, All Progressive Congress (APC) will take over this state. APC will take over Abia state. And you know why? So that what is released from Abuja will get to your ward.”
However, the Abia LP caucus in the House of Representatives accused Kalu of arrogance and being power-drunk.
The lawmakers expressed dismay at Kalu’s continued provocative statement. They described his latest remarks as “unintelligent, insensitive, and unbecoming of a public officer who ought to embody humility and emotional intelligence.”
Quoting their joint statement, “Recall that in 2024, when elected officials were still settling down to the serious business of governance and delivering dividends of democracy to the peace-loving people of Abia, Hon. Kalu fired the first political salvo. He openly reiterated a statement he had made in the past, boasting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would ‘capture Abia’ in 2027, flaunting his ‘number six’ position in the federal hierarchy as if political power were a personal trophy.”
The caucus accused Kalu of pursuing a deliberate strategy to undermine the state government: “Since then, Hon. Kalu has carried on with arrogance and recklessness, making provocative, sycophantic, and inflammatory statements both publicly and privately. His conduct reveals a deliberate strategy, to incite the Federal Government and the ruling party at the centre against the Abia State Government, while peddling falsehoods to discredit the administration of Governor Alex Otti.”
It further alleged that Kalu’s actions are driven by “personal ambition and power-drunk tendencies, even at the expense of peace of Abia state,” noting that he had employed similar divisive tactics against respected leaders of his own party in the South East.
The LP lawmakers acknowledged Governor Otti’s political maturity and magnanimity toward the Deputy Speaker. They noted instances where the governor extended goodwill to Kalu despite their political differences.
They recalled that Governor Otti had hosted an elaborate state reception in honour of Kalu upon his emergence as Deputy Speaker, attended by Labour Party officials and federal legislators. The governor also directed all Abia LP House members to support Kalu’s emergence as Deputy Speaker, they added.
“This cooperation should have been reciprocated by Hon. Kalu. Sadly, he has chosen instead to stoke the embers of political disharmony in Abia,” the caucus lamented.
The lawmakers listed several federal projects being executed in Abia State through Governor Otti’s facilitation to include the Port Harcourt Road, Ohafia-Arochukwu Road, Omenuko Bridge, and the 25 km Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road, which is soon to be flagged off.
“These are tangible results, a kind of leadership that brings hope to ordinary people, creates jobs, opens up communities, and makes Abia a pride of the nation again,” the statement emphasized.
The further advised Kalu to engage in “sober self-reflection,” noting that “his hubris and inciteful remarks are unbecoming of a Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.”
They reminded the Deputy Speaker that “many have occupied and will still occupy that seat; decorum, not arrogance, defines true leadership.”
According to them, Kalu’s attack on Otti amounts to “playing cheap politics”. They argued that as “number six” in national protocol, he ought to leverage his office to support projects for Abia’s growth.
The caucus also referenced the recent inauguration ceremony in Aba, where Governor Otti’s achievements received public endorsement and applause by President Tinubu, who was represented by Senator David Umahi.
“If the massive public endorsement of Governor Otti’s achievements, witnessed recently in Aba as applauded by the President who was ably represented by Distinguished Senator David Umahi and the good people of Abia at the flag-off ceremony unsettles Hon. Kalu, that is no justification to pursue mischief and incitement. If he persists on this trajectory, he may find himself at odds with Ndi Abia,” the statement warned.
The lawmakers urged Abians and Nigerians to “disregard Hon. Kalu’s empty boasts and divisive rhetoric,” insisting that “his actions are driven by selfish ambition, not love for the people.”
They assured that Governor Otti enjoys a cordial relationship with President Tinubu, asserting that “no amount of political scheming by Honorable Kalu can disrupt Abia’s steady progress.”
According to the lawmakers, Abia residents “can see through Hon. Kalu’s selfish antics and understand that his fight is not against one man but against the collective interest of good governance, peace, and progress in Abia State.”
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