Otti overrates himself politically, needed backing to win in 2023 – Orji Kalu

Orji Kalu, senator representing Abia north, says Alex Otti, governor of Abia, overrates himself politically, adding that he needed the backing of key stakeholders to win the 2023 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by George Maduka, the lawmaker’s media aide, Kalu said he remains committed to delivering Abia state to the APC.

On Monday, Otti said he would support the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Abia north to defeat Kalu in the 2027 elections.

Otti spoke while reacting to recent comments by Kalu, who vowed to ensure that the APC takes over Abia state in 2027.

Kalu, a former Abia governor, said the APC is united and solid in the state, adding that there is no division within the party.

He alleged that if any party is grappling with internal crises in Abia, it is the LP led by Otti.

The senator alleged that several local government chairmen who came to office through the LP are now operating from other political platforms, including the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

The former governor challenged Otti to deny visiting his residence in his hometown late at night on the eve of the 2023 election.

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

He recalled that key figures involved in the LP’s 2023 campaign, including Umeh Kalu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who served as the party’s state coordinator, held discussions with him.

Kalu said seeking such intervention contradicts Otti’s claims that he is politically irrelevant.

The senator challenged Otti to confront him directly instead of using media aides to issue statements on his behalf.

Kalu said he remains determined to deliver the APC at all levels in Abia “without apology or pretence”.
(The Cable)