Chuks Omesie: Hon. Ben Kalu’s empty bravado and the reality of Alex Otti’s Abia

I listened with amusement to Hon. Benjamin Kalu today as he addressed what can best be described as a rented audience, where he boasted, albeit indirectly, that Governor Alex Otti should pray he does not declare for the Abia governorship in 2027. With chest-thumping confidence, he claimed that if he received a signal to contest, he would defeat Governor Otti.

Frankly, the issue is not a cockroach fantasising about wearing a bulletproof vest. The real question is whether it can successfully pass the gate of a compound guarded by a fowl. A cockroach may plan a trip to the market, but the decisive question remains whether the fowl is also going to the market that same day. The answer, as always, is obvious.

Let it be stated clearly and without equivocation that no genuine supporter of Governor Alex Otti in Abia State or anywhere else, physically or spiritually, is afraid of Ben Kalu’s political ambition. If anything, we encourage him to contest so that he may properly acquaint himself with the weight of popular will and the true meaning of electoral defeat when measured against performance, integrity, and credibility.

Hon. Kalu also took time to boast about his 2019 victory over Dr. Chima Anyaso, though he carefully avoided mentioning his opponent’s name. He claimed political analysts gave him only a 30 percent chance of winning. What he conveniently failed to mention is that his victory rode heavily on the political structure and influence of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a factor that also played a decisive role in his return in 2023. Political history cannot be rewritten through selective storytelling.

More striking is the irony of a man who once allegedly sought political refuge now posturing as a conqueror. It is public knowledge within political circles that during the 2023 election season, efforts were made to avoid legal vulnerabilities at the tribunal. Was it not also alleged that Governor Alex Otti was approached to help prevail on Hon. Chinasa, popularly known as Dogo Bende of the Labour Party, to withdraw his case so that Ben Kalu could secure a high ranking position in the House of Representatives in the interest of the Igbo nation?

Yet today, the same individual speaks of Governor Alex Otti with dismissive arrogance. This only reinforces an old lesson. There is nothing you can do for a man who visits you on a bicycle. When he leaves, he may insult you by turning his back and mocking your kindness.

Governor Alex Otti, however, does not govern by noise or intimidation. He governs by results.

Since assuming office, Governor Otti has restored fiscal discipline, blocked financial leakages, prioritised transparency, revived abandoned projects, rebuilt public infrastructure, paid workers promptly, improved healthcare delivery, repositioned education, and returned dignity to governance in Abia State. Roads once forgotten are being reconstructed, public institutions are breathing again, and Abians now feel the presence of government at the grassroots.

Abians are not ready to reverse this progress. They are not prepared to hand over their state to career politicians whose legacy is noise without substance and ambition without vision. The era of looting our common patrimony is over.

Governor Alex Otti is not afraid of opposition theatrics. His work speaks louder than threats, and his record stands stronger than empty bravado. Across Abia and in the diaspora, Abians are proud of him, confident in his leadership, and resolute in their support today, tomorrow, and beyond.

The year 2027 will not be a contest of boasts. It will be a referendum on performance. On that score, Alex Otti remains unassailable.

Let us keep visiting the farm as the yam continues to mature.

Mr Chuks Omesie otherwise known as Chuks Digits, writes from Isuikwuato, Abia state