A prominent pan-Igbo organization, Njiko Igbo, has rebuked the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, following his assertion that Governor Alex Otti of Abia State will be unable to secure re-election on the Labour Party (LP) platform.
Njiko Igbo’s President, Reverend Okechukwu Obioha, expressed in an interview with THE WHISTLER that the people of Abia State will ultimately determine the outcome of the 2027 election, when Otti is expected to seek a second term.
Kalu, representing Bende Federal Constituency under the All Progressives Congress (APC), previously claimed in an interview that the next governor of Abia State will be from the APC.
“This will be the last time a Labour Party governor governs Abia State,” Kalu stated. “The next governor will be from APC,” he continued, adding that he had communicated this directly to Governor Otti.
Despite Kalu’s statements, Obioha emphasized that the Abia electorate, who overwhelmingly voted for Otti, will make the ultimate decision in future elections. He criticized Kalu’s assertion as dismissive of the people’s will.
“The people of Abia did not vote along party lines in the last election but based on Peter Obi’s influence and personal character,” Obioha remarked. He also insisted that Kalu, despite his position at the national level, does not have the authority to dictate the political direction of the South-East.
Obioha acknowledged Otti’s performance so far, praising him for surpassing the achievements of past governors, but cautioned that discussions of a second term are premature until his tenure can be properly evaluated.
Furthermore, Obioha criticized Kalu’s role in the 2023 presidential election, where the Deputy Speaker supported APC’s Bola Tinubu over Labour Party’s Peter Obi, despite widespread sentiment in the South-East for an Igbo president.
He concluded, “Ben Kalu’s recent comments reflect a pursuit of power rather than the interests of the people.”
