Abia State Governor Alex Otti has stated that he will support the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the Abia North senatorial district in their bid to defeat Orji Uzor Kalu in the 2027 election.
Otti spoke in response to recent remarks by Kalu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senator representing the district, who stated that the party would take over Abia State in 2027.
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governor described Kalu’s comments about supporting a prospective APC candidate as “pedestrian and ludicrous”.
‘Threats Won’t Weaken Me’
Otti said he had never asked Kalu to support his re-election bid or urged him to work against his party and its candidates, warning that the senator would be making “a calamitous blunder of costly consequences” if his remarks were intended as threats.
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“Threats toughen rather than frighten or weaken Governor Otti,” the statement said.
Governor challenges APC’s 2023 performance
The governor said the APC lost “woefully” in the 2023 governorship and presidential elections across polling units and wards in Bende local government area, Kalu’s constituency.
“At this point, we challenge Senator Kalu to produce his unit and ward results in the last governorship and presidential elections,” Otti said.
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“The question is, if he truly worked for the president and his party, why did the president lose in his constituency while he won in the election conducted on the same day?”
LP Eyes Abia North in 2027
Otti said genuine party loyalty is demonstrated through hard work rather than public declarations, adding that Abia voters would continue to support him or any candidate he endorses in 2027 due to what he described as the “enduring transformation” his administration has brought to the state.
He also mocked Kalu over claims that his younger brother, Mascot Kalu, was being drafted into the 2027 governorship race, noting that he contested the 2023 election under the Action Peoples Party and finished last.
The governor said four “capable and formidable” aspirants have already indicated interest in contesting the Abia North senatorial seat on the Labour Party platform, pledging to “massively support” whoever emerges as the LP candidate to unseat Kalu in 2027.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
