Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is determined to unseat the Labour Party-led administration of Governor Alex Otti in Abia State come 2027.
Addressing a massive rally of APC supporters at the Abia Hotel in Umuahia, Kalu, a prominent member of the APC-led federal government, stated that the party is laying the groundwork for a decisive political takeover in the next election cycle.
“We have come to take over. There is no going back. APC will take over Abia so that what comes from Abuja will be more impactful,” Kalu said to a cheering crowd brought in from the state’s 17 local government areas.
He described the event as a preparatory rally ahead of a larger statewide mobilisation on December 29, 2025, which will reportedly feature a visit from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The president, whose planned visit in early October was postponed, is expected to attend the December event in a show of support for the party’s growing presence in the state.
Kalu emphasized that the APC’s mission is to “rescue” the state, criticizing Governor Otti’s use of federal allocations, which he claimed range between ₦38 billion and ₦40 billion monthly.
He alleged that past governors achieved more with less.
“Abia has done well, but not enough. The people deserve better from a government receiving this level of funding,” he said.
In a swift and strongly worded response, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Alex Otti, dismissed Kalu’s remarks as “misleading” and “uninformed.”
“Benjamin Kalu needs tutorials more than he needs a microphone,” Ekeoma stated in a press release titled “Governance in Abia: Benjamin Kalu Needs Tutorial More Than He Needs a Microphone.”
He challenged the figures cited by Kalu, noting that Abia’s total FAAC allocation for the year-to-date (January–August 2025) stands at ₦125 billion, far below the annualized total that would result from monthly ₦38 billion allocations.
Ekeoma further argued that inflation, currency devaluation, and rising import costs have significantly eroded the real value of federal allocations.
He also highlighted substantial reforms introduced under Otti’s leadership, including raising the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to over ₦70,000, doubling the state workforce from 31,000 to over 67,000 verified staff, excluding newly hired teachers, and restoring dignity to thousands of previously marginalized workers.
“Thousands of Abians were denied salaries for years under past administrations. Governor Otti’s administration has brought them into the fold and is paying them fairly,” Ekeoma said.
He questioned Kalu’s silence during the tenure of previous PDP administrations when many of these issues persisted, accusing him of political opportunism.
