Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A chieftain of the Labour Party Nigeria in Abia State, Peter Azubuike, has challenged the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, to formally declare his governorship ambition or step aside from what he described as “political grandstanding.”
Azubuike, who is also the Stakeholders Chairman of Labour Party/Abia Arise in Obingwa LGA, threw the challenge during an interview, questioning Kalu’s delay in making his intention public.
“Why the delay? What exactly is holding him back? Abians are waiting,” he said, dismissing recent remarks by the Deputy Speaker as distractions lacking substance.
He maintained that while democracy allows individuals to pursue political ambitions, the people of Abia have already made their choice in Alex Otti, whom he described as enjoying overwhelming support ahead of 2027.
“Over 95 per cent of Abians can’t wait to re-elect Governor Otti. That’s the reality. All this noise about coming to Obingwa to pick a running mate is baseless and irrelevant,” he stated.
The Labour Party chieftain also cautioned against what he termed subtle political intimidation targeted at Obingwa, warning that such tactics would no longer succeed.
“The Obingwa of yesterday is not the Obingwa of today. Nobody can come here to threaten us with promises of positions. Those days are gone,” he added.
Azubuike further took a swipe at Kalu’s comments regarding the All Progressives Congress (APC) and an alleged plan to “sweep monies from Signature Bank,” describing the remark as illogical and misleading.
“He said he would sweep money from Signature Bank with a broom? To where? Into a Ghana-Must-Go bag? Is there even money there?” he queried, branding the statement, “politics of deceit and calumny.”
He also defended Governor Otti’s performance, highlighting his track record in banking and enterprise prior to assuming office, and insisting that governance in the state had reached a new benchmark.
Drawing comparisons, Azubuike referenced the tenure of David Umahi as an example of impactful leadership, while dismissing attempts to compare Otti’s administration with that of former governor Okezie Ikpeazu, whom he said “has moved on and is no longer relevant to current discourse.”
He concluded with a warning that Abia’s political landscape has changed fundamentally, stressing that the era of manipulation and blind loyalty was over.
“The people are now awake. 2027 will not be business as usual,” he said, reaffirming that support for Otti was driven by performance and would be firmly defended by the electorate.
