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The Office of the Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has stated that Abia Governor Alex Otti is merely reconstructing roads laid by the senator.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by George Maduka, Kalu’s office pointed out that under Otti’s administration, the state “faces unprecedented indecency: drug abuse, vandalism of government property, unwanted pregnancies, and other societal vices hitherto alien to Abians”.
The statement added that Otti himself disclosed how his own mother professed admiration for Senator Kalu.
“Under his administration, the state now faces unprecedented indecency: drug abuse, vandalism of government property, unwanted pregnancies, and other societal vices hitherto alien to Abians. Instead of mitigating these ills, they are weaponised as tools against Kalu.
“Communities, once cohesive, are now riven by chieftaincy and land disputes, artificially inflamed by state officials seeking to appropriate communal lands,” it said.
It added, “Kalu’s reference to defending the mandate of the people is a constitutional right, not a threat. The only “terror” Abians recall from the Kalu era was the decisive suppression of armed robbery and crime.
“It is also on record that Otti himself recognised his own mother as a devoted admirer of Senator Kalu, reportedly stating: “You dare not criticise Kalu in the presence of my mother.”
“Kalu is correct: Otti is merely reconstructing roads laid by Senator Kalu. Virtually every road in Aba, Umuahia, Ohafia, Bende LGA, and other parts of the state was constructed under Kalu.
“The current works are continuations, or continuum, of foundational projects. The Otti administration must explain why, despite receiving the highest allocations in the history of Abia State, it has failed to initiate virgin roads, construct 15 general hospitals, ABSUTH, Commissioners’ Quarters, Enyimba and Umuahia Stadium, and numerous other landmark projects Kalu executed within three years. Renovation does not erase the groundwork.
“The Labour Party’s spokesperson amusingly defends Governor Otti while admitting that the state now receives unprecedented funds. If Governor Otti has “all the money in the world” and allocations are at an all-time high, why are workers owed arrears?
“Why have pensions remained unsettled? Why is the Government House being renovated at a cost that could have funded several primary healthcare centres?
“Beyond rhetoric, the facts reveal a troubling reality under the current administration. Abia now receives ₦60 billion monthly, driven largely by fiscal reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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“Over ₦18 billion has been spent on private jets and travel by Governor Otti. The ₦70,000 minimum wage is incompletely implemented: junior staff earn ₦29,000, road sweepers ₦23,000, and supervisors get ₦47,000.
“Professors at Abia State University earn ₦520,000, while counterparts elsewhere earn up to ₦1.2 million. School fees exceed ₦100,000, creating unbearable burdens for families.
“With a total wage bill below ₦10 billion, the remaining ₦50 billion’s utilisation remains opaque. Workers, pensioners, and lecturers continue to receive fractional payments mislabelled as final settlements.
“Meanwhile, ₦560 million is expended monthly on media propaganda, manufacturing an illusion of performance, while infrastructure projects, including the Umuikaa–Owerrinta road, exhibit slow and substandard execution.
“Of N15 billion claimed, only ₦230 million reached beneficiaries, some receiving as little as ₦1 million.
“The Nsulu Airport compensation scandal further reveals systemic corruption: over 1,000 fictitious names account for ₦1.4 billion of a ₦40 billion allocation, while pensioners remain unpaid. Yes, Otti’s government used over N4 billion to construct a kilometre of road.
“Nevertheless, we accept the challenge to “open the books.” We dare Governor Otti to submit to a forensic audit of the state’s finances from day one.
“The contrast between a governor who builds prudently with little and one who mismanages abundance will be undeniable. Abians await clarity on the claimed over N60billion smart schools, whose existence remains largely unsubstantiated.”
“The Labour Party’s fixation on Senator Kalu’s private residence is a transparent distraction from their own failures. Kalu built his house prior to governance, emerging from the private sector as a legitimate international business magnate, attaining billionaire status at the age of 26.
“Unlike the current crop, who amass wealth post-office, Kalu’s business empire predates his political career.
“We advise the Labour Party to focus on governance, address outstanding court cases, and cease hallucinating about Kalu, once lauded as “action governor” and now “action senator.”
“Abians are discerning; the era of propaganda is ongoing, but the people see through the smoke and mirrors—aletheia prevails,” the statement said.
