Former governor of Abia State and incumbent lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has fired back at the Governor of the state, Dr. Alex Otti, stating that Gov. Otti doesn’t have the power to stop his reelection to the Senate in 2027.
Recall that Gov. Otti few days ago, while reacting to Senator Kalu’s statement that Abia will be APC in 2027, while asking the Abia North Senator to produce the 2023 INEC certified result for Abia North, vowed to stop Senator Kalu from returning to the senate.
But Kalu who spoke at his Igbere country home on Thursday to journalists, after the distribution of food items to his constituents and members of his party across the 17 local government areas of the state said contrary to Gov. Otti’s claim, he (Kalu) would win the poll on a landslide.
He challenge Gov. Otti and members of his party to electoral contest, saying that the APC were going to record huge success in the 2027 general elections against the prediction of the state governor.
Senator Kalu who claimed to have helped Otti to secure his 2023 governorship election in 2023, questioned why the governor of the state and his media team would be vexed with his decision to work for his party; APC in 2027 general elections said “You know that I have not for once said anything about the state government.
“I consider the governor as my friend and for two years I have never criticised the governor.
“No governor can deny that he isn’t aware of whatever that his Chief Press Secretary writes.
“Three days ago they shot the first arrow because I said that I will work for the APC to win.
“In 2023, we worked for him to win and we are not going to do that again; We will work for our party to win. What is wrong with that? Is that why I should receive insults? That is not acceptable to me and I am going to work for my party.
“I worked for him (Otti). Even my brother who was running for governor in APP (All Peoples Party), I called him to cooperate with him (Otti) because we are going to support him and that is the truth.”
Assessing Otti’s government in the past two years, Senator Kalu said “If he has done better, I don’t know about that because the money that I received in eight years is what Alex Otti receives in four months.
“He is just repainting and rebuilding the roads that I built as a governor between 1999 and 2007.
“I have not seen any new major road that he has done.
“I am in the Senate. All the roads that I am doing now are new farm roads. I have not seen him go into farm road.
“By two years time, I have done what people believed in this state which made then President Olusegun Obasanjo named me “Action Governor “.
“Under my watch in Abia, education was free, healthcare services was free. The truth is that, I have not seen what they have done.
“I know that he has tried rebuilding the road that I did; Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Ohafia road, which has stayed for so long (two years) before completion. I don’t know what they have done and why the noise in th social media. This business is not done on social media, it is done on the right time.
“My support for him is gone. It’s for the APC now.”
On the statement that he will fail in his Senatorial ambition in 2027, Kalu said, “history will show who will fail.
“Otti said that people should write their Will. I have never rigged election before. Nobody has ever accused me of that and I don’t so that.
“Even the people that took me to court didn’t take me to court that I rigged election anywhere and I don’t do that and I don’t support that. We want the will of the people to prevail.
“This is two years to the election and I want to tell you that we are very prepared. I can tell you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the state. We will win the three Senatorial District Seats and you will see it.
“I am on the field. Before, I use to sit in Igbere, but now, I will leave my gate for the general good of the party.”
He refuted that APC in the state was balkanised, stressing that goal of every member of the APC in the state is to win election.
“I am not sure that Otti is going to join APC. I am not the owner of the party, if he (Otti) joins the party, well, what happened in 2023 will happen again.”
My words to abians is that, the OUK that they know is back. I am back in the field. They know that when I am in the field, the masses will rejoice. I am back because I want to be back.
Asked why he was going back to the senate, Kalu said “What am I doing in the senate that other senators are not doing? You can see that the development here is unprecedented.
“I can beat my chest to say that not up to 20 senators out of the 109 have done what I have done there in six years.
“Abia North and Abia State will be shortchanging themselves if they don’t send me back to the Senate.
“I am building roads and schools in Isiala Ngwa, I am building roads in Aba and every other place even though I am from Abia North.”
On perceived performance of Southeast political leaders who are not at par with their counterparts in other parts of the country, Kalu said “the President is the President of Nigeria and we are still Senators of Nigeria. We are still running paripasu. The class of 1999 is so blessed by God. President Yar’ Adua was class of 1999. President Tinubu is class of 1999. Maybe after the President, another class of 1999 will become the President of the country.
On creation of more states, the former Abia governor said “I cannot talk about state creation because constitutional amendment is a very difficult issue and if the President has the Will to do it and members of the National Assembly are united together, there will be creation of another state and I support creation of one state out of the existing five states.
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“My opinion might be different from other persons opinion. For me, they should take somewhere in Imo, Anambra and Delta with capital in Oguta. I don’t care what name that they will call it, I have said this times without number. I am a man with fair mindedness and one who speaks the truth at all times. I believe that if the Igbos will come together and pursue the state that I am proposing, it will be me more viable
