…Says Deputy Speaker Kalu Suffers from Arrogance, Information Deficiency
By Steve Oko
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has warned those plotting to rig the 2027 elections in the state to abandon such plans or be ready to “write their will” before attempting it.
Speaking during a media parley in Umuahia on Thursday night, Otti declared that the people of Abia would fiercely resist any attempt to subvert their mandate at the polls.
“I’ve heard that some people say they want to take over the state and write results,” the Governor said. “The only advice I have for them is that if they truly want to write results, they should write something else before that time — their will! Because this is our state. Nobody can dictate to us.”
Responding to questions on his rift with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Otti said he had forgiven him despite what he described as Kalu’s repeated public attacks on his administration.
The Deputy Speaker had, during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Abia, accused the Otti administration of underperforming despite increased federal allocations to the state. He also claimed that Abia receives between ₦38 billion and ₦40 billion monthly from the Federation Account and boasted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would take over the state in 2027.
Otti dismissed the figures as false and berated Kalu for “peddling misinformation for political gains.”
“We have a good relationship. He is actually my younger brother. Our relationship didn’t start with politics,” Otti said. “But this is the second time he has come out publicly to berate my administration. I have decided to forgive him.”
The governor, however, accused Kalu of “hubris and information deficiency.”
“I think he has a few challenges. One is what is described as hubris — excessive arrogance. Closely related to that is what I would call information deficiency syndrome — where you are supposed to have information but don’t have the right one,” Otti said.
He also mocked Kalu’s self-description as “number six” in Nigeria’s order of protocol, saying, “According to the Protocol Act of 2000, number six is the Deputy Senate President, not the Deputy Speaker. But maybe it has changed, and I didn’t know.”
Otti said he was unbothered by Kalu’s claim that the APC would take over Abia in 2027.
“Do I feel threatened? Absolutely not! I guess he was terrified by the massive applause we got during the President’s visit to Aba when we inaugurated projects,” Otti remarked.
He cautioned Kalu to wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to lift the ban on campaigns before making political declarations.
“I heard he wants to run for governorship in 2027. That’s fine, but he should respect the law. If INEC hasn’t opened campaigns, he should wait. When you gather people and tell them you’ll take over in 2027, that’s campaigning — and it’s not right,” Otti warned.
The governor also advised the Deputy Speaker to stop de-marketing his own party in the state.
“It’s important that the APC leadership knows they are being de-marketed in Abia,” Otti said. “But I call on our people to remain calm. We’ve managed to keep the state peaceful for the past two years, and we must sustain that peace.”
Addressing fiscal issues, Otti clarified that while Abia’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had risen, the value had been eroded by inflation and naira depreciation.
“If our IGR was ₦100 in 2022 and it’s now ₦300 in 2025, you might think it tripled. But when you compare the naira’s value — ₦400 to a dollar then and ₦1,500 now — the real value has reduced,” he explained.
Otti said he granted a six-month tax holiday at the start of his administration to focus on rebuilding infrastructure before demanding taxes from citizens.
“We couldn’t pressure people to pay taxes when they were living in slums and struggling to reach their shops on terrible roads,” he said. “Now that we’ve created some prosperity, we believe taxes are justified. But even at that, we’re not aggressive with tax collection.”
He added that many Abians have voluntarily contributed funds to support the state government’s developmental projects, showing faith in his leadership.
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