18th March 2026, NewsOrient, Politics, News, Governance And Development, Law And Society

Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has responded to the Labour Party over its interpretation of his recent statement on defence of the people’s mandate as a threat or call for violence, pointing out that “reference to defending the mandate of the people is a constitutional right, not a threat.”

The Senator, representing Abia North Senatorial District of Abia State said this in a press statement from his media office, dated March 17, 2026 and signed by George Maduka.

Emphasizing that Senator Kalu is never associated with terror, Maduka said in the statement that
“the only ‘terror’ Abians recall from the Kalu era was the decisive suppression of armed robbery and crime.”

The press statement reads in full: “Re: Response To Labour Party’s False Claims Against Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.

“The attention of the Office of the Senator Representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has been drawn to a watery press release issued by the factional Abia State Chapter of the Labour Party through its factional State Publicity Secretary, one Mr. Chidiebere Okoro.

“Though it bears the name Chidiebere Okoro, we recognise the unmistakable tone of Governor Alex Otti and the writing of one Ferdinand Ekeoma.

“While we are accustomed to the pedestrian level of discourse that now passes for communication from the current administration’s spin doctors, we are compelled to provide a measured, factual rebuttal to correct the record and enlighten the public—katharen aletheian, the pure, untainted truth.

“It is a mark of intellectual torpor for the Labour Party to equate a passionate political speech with a threat of violence.

“Senator Kalu is a core democrat who has never attempted to manipulate or write election results. We challenge Governor Otti and his blind acolytes to provide any evidence where the Senator has been accused of such an act.

“If anyone has been a victim of manipulated results, it is Senator Kalu, a firm believer in the demos (the people) and the will of the populace, though his trust was betrayed by self-serving politicians like Otti, who begged Kalu for support but surreptitiously solicited Abians to undermine him in Abia North, including those Kalu had assisted in the past.

“If there is any panic, it resides squarely with Otti, whose party is factionalised into three. He is a cunning opportunist, aware that his time is expiring, especially after being outmaneuvered in his own game of deception and empty promises.

“How many individuals did Otti promise the deputy governorship? How many did he pledge to hand over to?

“Senator Kalu is a statesman who has contested and won elections under the banner of democracy. He requires no tutelage in civility from a party whose strategy relies upon non-state actors and sympathisers of proscribed groups to harass opponents and manipulate the electoral process.

“Kalu merely assured his supporters that they would be defended against such elements, which Governor Otti has alarmingly emboldened.

“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.

“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. 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. Slok Air and Slok Shipping were operational before 1999; any expansion thereafter was due to private sector success, not state expropriation; a truth that eludes Otti and his media urchins, whose livelihood appears tethered to brown envelopes and fifth-column narratives.

“The Labour Party admits students are paying “a little over N100,000.” Kalu’s reduction to N7,500 addressed a prohibitive system at the time. That fees have escalated under successive administrations, including the present one, indicts the current Labour Party government, rather than refuting Kalu’s achievement.

“Senator Kalu does not require alliances through coercion or blackmail. His formidable grassroots network is self-sufficient.

“Conversely, Otti has been traversing Lagos and Abuja in search of alliances.

“The tantrums from Otti and his followers signify panic. Otti has no tangible legacy; come election day, Abians will recall who laid foundations and who merely painted the walls.

“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 reads.

~ Published By NewsOrient Network

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