‘Keep your ambition till appropriate time’ — Abia government knocks Ben Kalu for criticising Otti

The Abia government says Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, is criticising the administration of Alex Otti, governor of the state, because of his governorship ambition.

The state government described recent comments by Kalu, who represents the Bende constituency of Abia, about Otti’s administration as “spurious allegations”.

During an event organised by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Umuahia, the state capital, on Sunday, Kalu claimed that Otti’s administration has underperformed despite receiving substantial allocations from the federal government.

The deputy speaker said the APC will take control of the state in 2027. Otti was elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).

However, in a statement on Monday, Ferdinand Ekeoma, special adviser to Otti on media and publicity, said Kalu did not consider naira depreciation and the increase in minimum wage while comparing the allocations received by the state government and previous administrations.

Ekeoma said the deputy speaker failed to speak about the increase in the number of civil servants in Abia state from 31,000 to over 67,000 now.

He faulted Kalu’s appeal to the Lagos government over recent demolitions of structures, adding that if the intent was genuine, the appeal would have been private.

“It’s interesting that after playing hide and seek and enabling an unprovoked opprobrious media onslaught against the government for months, he finally unmasked himself and his ambition while pretending to be projecting President Tinubu, whom he drops his name at will as a strategy to advancing his selfish political interest,” the statement reads.

“Finally, Kalu should be advised not to over-trouble himself over what he saw in Aba; that was just a rehearsal.

“Thank God, those men and women who trooped out in their thousands were not wearing uniforms, nor were they paid to come and line the streets to give that earthshaking support, solidarity and welcome to Otti and the president’s representative.

“They are the real witnesses and beneficiaries of good governance, and they know who is who. Kalu should have a cold drink, relax, and wait for the appropriate time to launch his governorship bid.

“What he is displaying for now is sheer ignorance and rascality as he keeps boasting about 2027 to the point of resorting to incoherent submissions and mendacious fabrications targeted at the government. We advise that to take on this government on numbers, you must be financially literate.”