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The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has thrown its weight behind Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who faced intense criticism for his audacious call on Abia State Governor Alex Otti to switch allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Senator Kalu had earlier remarked on a media program that, given his position as the country’s sixth-ranking citizen, his state would no longer remain in opposition, hinting at a possible shift in political allegiance or strategy.
As highlighted by the group, Senator Kalu’s speech has drawn severe criticism, especially from within the Labour Party, the political home of Governor Alex Otti.
Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, issued a statement on Thursday, describing the attacks on Senator Kalu as unjustified and pointless.
Mazi Okwu Nnabuike maintained that Senator Kalu’s remarks were a benign political statement that did not contain any disparaging or offensive language towards the Governor’s office, and hence, the attacks on him were unwarranted.
According to him, “We are constrained to react to the unfortunate comments that have trailed the statement made by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kanu, in which he courted the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti to join his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“We have taken our time to digest the remarks made by Hon. Kalu and we did not find any disparaging remarks against the person and office of the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
“All he did was to woo the governor into the APC, a party Otti formerly belonged to before his defection to the Labour Party.
“We find nothing wrong in Kalu courting his former APC member and asking him to rejoin the party to enable Abia to be part of the ruling party in the centre.
“What he said is not in any way different from what any other high ranking member of the ruling party would say.
“He said quite clearly in his remarks that Governor Otti is his friend and that they speak almost on a daily basis.
So why the much ado about nothing? Why the fuss over a harmless piece of advice from Kalu to his friend Otti?”
