Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
As the cold war between Governor Alex Otti and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, continues to simmer, the Abia State Liaison Officer at the National Assembly, Chief Iheanyi Chinasa, has faulted the Deputy Speaker for demanding accountability over a $263.8 million loan facility obtained by the state government.
The facility was secured for the Abia State Integrated Infrastructural Development Project (ABSIID)—an initiative aimed at boosting infrastructural development across the state.
According to Chief Chinasa, the loan was sourced from a consortium of three financial institutions: the Islamic Development Bank ($125 million), the African Development Bank (AfDB) ($100 million), and the Canada–Africa Development Bank ($15 million), while the Abia State Government provided $23.8 million as counterpart funding.
Chinasa, who was Kalu’s major challenger in the 2023 election, accused the Deputy Speaker of raising a false alarm, clarifying that the loan had not yet been accessed by the state government.
“These funds are still with the banks. The state has not drawn a single kobo from the facility as we speak. This information is also available in the public domain for anyone to verify,” he stated.
He described Kalu’s comments as “a lame script aimed at demarketing the Otti-led administration,” accusing the Deputy Speaker of peddling misinformation to discredit the Governor for selfish political reasons.
“My question is: Why does the Deputy Speaker like to misinform the public? Is this desperation to generate controversy and portray himself as being persecuted for the President’s sake?
“The Deputy Speaker asking for results from a loan that has not been disbursed is shocking. His constant attempt to blackmail the Abia State Government at every forum is unbecoming of the exalted office he occupies,” Chinasa added.
He advised Kalu to focus on representing the people of Bende Federal Constituency rather than launching unprovoked attacks against Governor Otti.
“If he believes he has the popularity and capacity to compete with Gov. Otti, let him wait until 2027 and contest for the governorship,” Chinasa said.
He further noted that Gov. Otti “has performed creditably well with the resources available to him and deserves commendation, not attacks or distractions.”
The rift between Otti and Kalu’s camps deepened recently after the Deputy Speaker claimed that developments in the state were not commensurate with the funds accruing to it. He also argued that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be praised for giving the Governor more funds to work with following the removal of fuel subsidy.
