Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Abia Interest Association (ABIA) have advised Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to focus his attention on governance in Abia State, the only state controlled by his party, instead of touring foreign countries to study their development models.
Gatekeepers News reports that it a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, the group’s leader, Eze Chikamnayo, said Obi’s recent foreign trips amounted to “hypocrisy,” urging him to channel his advocacy for good governance towards Abia.
“We have a message for Obi. He is gallivanting to Indonesia, India, and Egypt looking for models of governance. He should stop the hypocrisy. He doesn’t need to go to Indonesia or anywhere else — he should go to Abia and ask Governor Alex Otti how the ₦54 billion meant for education has been diverted to Smart Schools when no single one is visible,” the group said.
The APC stakeholders described as “shameful” the alleged misuse of funds in the state, claiming that despite over ₦1.5 trillion received by Abia under President Bola Tinubu’s refund programme, only “a few streets and one road” were commissioned during the Minister of Works Dave Umahi’s recent visit.
Obi, during a five-day visit to Indonesia, had met with senior officials including former Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla and former Minister Agung Laksono. Discussions focused on security, education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. The former Anambra governor praised Indonesia’s rapid economic progress, noting that its per capita income grew from $1,136 in 2004 to about $5,000 in 2024, while Nigeria’s remained stagnant around $1,000.
Meanwhile, tensions have escalated within Abia’s political landscape as the Abia Liaison Officer at the National Assembly, Iheanyi Chinasa, cautioned the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, over his criticisms of Governor Otti.
Chinasa, a kinsman of the Deputy Speaker, accused Kalu of lacking “the capacity, track record, and political standing” to challenge Otti in the 2027 governorship election, describing his recent comments as “ill-motivated.”
Kalu had, during President Tinubu’s recent visit to Aba, said Abia’s development was not commensurate with its federal allocations and credited the President, rather than the Governor, for the state’s recent progress.
Responding, Governor Alex Otti dismissed Kalu’s remarks as “lies,” accusing him of seeking political relevance.
“The President knows traitors and sycophants when he sees them; hence it is difficult to deceive him with lies and incitement,” Otti said through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
He countered Kalu’s claims about the state’s revenue, stating that Abia’s 2025 year-to-date Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) receipts, including local government allocations, stood at ₦125 billion.
“If we were to go by Kalu’s false claim of ₦38 billion monthly, that would amount to ₦304 billion. Should a Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly be associated with such bare-faced lies?” the governor added.
