Abians condemn opposition ‘gang-up’ against Otti, vow not to return to ‘Egypt’

Residents and stakeholders across Abia State have condemned what they described as a coordinated plot by opposition politicians to discredit and unseat Governor Alex Otti, insisting that the state will not “return to Egypt.”

The reactions followed recent comments credited to a former governor of the state and current senator representing Abia North, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, as well as a meeting of opposition figures reportedly convened in Umuahia against the Otti administration.

At various fora, Abians described the moves as a desperate attempt to malign the governor and undermine what they said were visible achievements recorded by his administration within about 30 months in office.

Governor Otti, speaking at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Umuoriehi, headquarters of the Abia North Conference in Umuahia North Local Government Area, urged residents to ignore what he called the “noise” from opposition politicians.

“I want us to just dismiss it as noise. It is always the empty barrel that makes the loudest noise,” Otti said.

Quoting from the Bible, the governor added that gatherings not ordained by God would not succeed, stressing that his administration would remain focused on governance rather than political distractions.

“We should just continue doing what we are doing. They are not talking about you, the Abia people; they are talking about themselves,” he said.

Earlier, the President of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Abia North–Central Conference, Pastor Kennedy Ihuoma, urged leaders, especially those in government, to emulate the biblical Joseph by interpreting and pursuing the right vision for the people.

The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, also charged Abians to resist what he described as attempts by failed political actors to return the state to an era of decay.

Addressing a town hall meeting at Umuezegu Community Primary School, Isiala Nsulu, in Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Ajagba questioned the credibility of opposition figures who, according to him, had 24 years to develop the state but failed.

“Why is it now that the governor has come to create a sustainable roadmap for Abia that they suddenly think they can do better? What they destroyed in 24 years took Governor Otti about 24 months to fix,” Ajagba said.

He described the Otti administration as a “divine rescue mission,” expressing confidence that any conspiracy against it would fail.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Dr Linus Nto Mbah, condemned the alleged plot to stop Otti’s re-election in 2027, describing it as “dead on arrival.”

According to the monarch, Abians are satisfied with the governor’s leadership style and achievements and are already determined to return him to office in 2027.

“Abians will resist every attempt to return the state to Egypt,” Eze Mbah said, citing improvements in road infrastructure, education, healthcare, public service reforms, urban renewal, transportation and security.

He pointed to projects such as the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road in Aba, road networks in Umuahia, the introduction of electric buses and the Umuahia Central Bus Terminal as evidence of purposeful leadership.

“Do they want to take us back to the days of unpaid salaries and pensions, infrastructural decay and abandoned schools and hospitals? It will not work,” he said.

The traditional ruler urged residents to remain united and continue supporting the governor, insisting that Abians made the right choice in 2023 and would repeat it in 2027.