“Otti Overrates Himself Politically, Needed Backing to Win in 2023” — Orji Kalu

Senator Orji Kalu, representing Abia North, has said Governor Alex Otti of Abia State overestimates his political strength, arguing that Otti relied on the support of key political actors to secure victory in the 2023 governorship election.

In a statement released on Tuesday by his media aide, George Maduka, Kalu said he remains focused on ensuring that Abia State is won by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in future elections.

The comments followed Otti’s statement on Monday that he would back the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Abia North in the 2027 elections in a bid to unseat Kalu. Otti was responding to Kalu’s earlier remarks in which the senator pledged to work toward an APC takeover of Abia State in 2027.

Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, said the APC is stable and united in the state, dismissing claims of internal division within the party. He added that the Labour Party, under Otti’s leadership, is instead facing internal challenges.

According to the senator, several local government chairmen elected on the LP platform are no longer operating within the party, alleging that some are now aligned with other political parties, including the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Kalu also challenged Otti to deny visiting his residence in Igbere late on the eve of the 2023 election, suggesting that the visit undermines the governor’s claims of political independence.

“If he was not relevant, why was his house in Igbere visited on the night before the election?” Kalu asked.

He further stated that prominent figures involved in the Labour Party’s 2023 campaign, including Umeh Kalu, a senior advocate of Nigeria who served as the party’s state coordinator, held discussions with him during the election period.

The senator argued that such engagement contradicts Otti’s assertion that he is politically insignificant.

Kalu also called on the governor to address him directly rather than through media aides, adding that he is committed to delivering electoral victories for the APC at all levels in Abia State.