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The family of Eastern Nigeria’s most celebrated premier has publicly rejected an alliance of former Abia State governors working to deny incumbent Governor Alex Otti a second term, describing their campaign as disconnected from grassroots sentiment and contrary to the democratic right of voters to choose their own leaders.
Uzodinma Okpara, son of the late Dr. Michael Okpara who served as Premier of Eastern Nigeria, delivered the rebuke Wednesday at a community gathering in Ohuhu, Umuahia North Local Government Area, in one of the most symbolically significant endorsements Otti has received since the political storm erupted.
The statement was addressed directly at former governors Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji, and Okezie Ikpeazu, who have jointly threatened to prevent Otti from winning re-election in 2027. Kalu publicly boasted that Otti would be a one-term governor, a declaration that triggered swift condemnation from multiple groups across Abia State. Uzodinma said the coalition of former governors does not speak for the electorate and that the people of Abia retain the sovereign right to determine who governs them. He urged citizens to rally behind the governor rather than be swayed by political maneuvering from figures associated with what he described as an era of stagnation.
On allegations that Otti’s administration inflates contract costs, Uzodinma challenged the accusers to produce verifiable evidence reconciling government revenue with spending before making public claims. He argued that the governor’s visible achievements across infrastructure, sanitation, and education made such allegations difficult to sustain.
Umuahia North local government chairman Smart Iheoma reinforced the message, stating categorically that Otti has not diverted financial allocations meant for his council, and offering to be held personally accountable for every naira flowing into local government coffers. The gathering also heard from residents who described how the major towns of Umuahia and Aba, once overwhelmed by uncollected refuse and deteriorating roads, had undergone measurable improvement since Otti took office in May 2023.
Infrastructure achievements credited to the administration include the full rehabilitation of the 6.5-kilometer Port Harcourt Road in Aba, handled by Julius Berger in what was described as the company’s first major engagement in the state, the reconstruction of a 60-kilometer arterial road linking Abia North to the state capital, and the replacement of a colonial-era bridge at the Nmuri River that had been a long-standing danger to motorists.
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The political battle over Otti’s future has been widening for weeks. The former governors and veteran politicians formed an alliance with stated intentions of handing Abia back to the All Progressives Congress in 2027 and delivering the state to President Bola Tinubu. They also threatened legal action against Otti for conducting government operations from his private residence in Isiala Ngwa South rather than from Government House in Umuahia.
Otti responded defiantly during a monthly media chat with journalists, saying he had not violated the Nigerian constitution and would not be distracted. “Somebody said he will sue me for not operating from his house in Umuahia; well, I am waiting for the suit,” the governor said, adding that construction of a new Government House was underway and would be completed before his current term ends.
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria’s Abia State chapter, comprising all 17 council chairmen, had already moved to distance themselves from the former governors’ position, passing a formal vote of confidence in Otti at a press conference in Umuahia in January. Reading from a joint statement, ALGON Abia chairman Chinedu Ekeke said Otti’s achievements “speak clearly and visibly across all 17 LGAs of the state” and that “the unease behind these statements arises not from poor governance, but from the stark contrast between Governor Otti’s achievements and the abysmal records of past administrations.”
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The Obidient Movement, which credits its mobilization during the 2023 elections with contributing to Otti’s victory under the Labour Party banner, also weighed in, urging Otti to join the African Democratic Congress ahead of 2027 to consolidate their bloc vote behind him. The group alleged that the former governors’ opposition is motivated by a desire to deliver the state to the APC. Wednesday’s meeting in Ohuhu also raised two longstanding heritage concerns from the Okpara family that have outlasted multiple administrations. The kinsmen lamented that a 200-bed hospital project initiated by the late premier before his death in 1984 remains abandoned at the same stage he left it, while the Greater Ohuhu Water Scheme Project rehabilitation has stalled across successive governments despite repeated assurances.
They noted that Otti has shown openness to engaging with these legacy issues and expressed hope that the current administration would finally deliver the completions that have eluded the community for four decades.
The late Dr. Michael Okpara, who died in 1984 at the age of 64, remains a revered figure in Igbo political history, widely credited with transforming Eastern Nigeria through agricultural development, industrialization, and ambitious infrastructure programs during the first republic. The endorsement by his family carries symbolic weight extending beyond party affiliation.
Neither Kalu, Orji, nor Ikpeazu issued a public response to Uzodinma Okpara’s statement as of Wednesday evening.
