Saturday Southerner —Another View 

Saturday, February 7, 2026

It is only God and the people of Abia state that will decide who wins the governorship race in 2027. No rigging machine or gang up, nor any propaganda or ‘kurukere waka’ can change what the people want.

Some of the bigwigs in Abia politics are free to join, support, campaign or vote for any party of their choice. It is their inalienable right.

But one thing is clear, millions of Abians won’t entertain any harassment or intimidation of their governor, Alex Chioma Otti in the 2027 election.

What is the usefulness of a General with no foot soldiers, a forest without trees? The recent political gathering of the old ‘brigades’ against Gov. Alex Otti for 2027 is in vain. These men have no support base. They are all pretenders and with time, the people of Abia shall separate the chaff from the seed.

In the streets of Abia, from Isuikwuato to Obingwa, Umuahia to Arochukwu, Aba to Ohafia, Gov. Otti is well accepted, cheered, and respected by millions of Abia residents. This man, Otti has given them what the past three governors since 1999 couldn’t give them.

The overwhelming crowd of supporters for Gov. Otti, is appreciative of his good works and nothing else matters. Since 1999 that democracy returned to Nigeria till 2023, Abia state was in limbo. There was nothing to be proud of in Abia during the reign of the PDP merchants. Their era was largely disastrous.

When Senator Orji Kalu became the executive governor of Abia state in 1999, many expected Abia to become another Dubai. But alas, it was the ‘more you look, the less you see’ scenario. He continued his ‘gra-gra’ kind of politics without anything to point at as his achievements till he vacated office in 2007.

While other states were climbing the ladder of progress, achieving milestones and modernizing their states’ infrastructures, Abia under Orji Kalu, Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu sank into the debris. Abia under these three gladiators was jinxed, cursed and condemned.

Governance took complete leave of absence in Abia. Our money was almost literarilly shared and distributed into private pockets while the teeming majority of the people suffered in silence.

Today, Gov. Otti has changed that trajectory. He is writing a good narrative to the admiration of the great people of Abia. He has dismantled the long held deception, mis-governance and alleged corruption that characterized the past. He brought some measure of organization and decency into government affairs. Development, true governance and progress are now the hallmark of the state.

The dark days in Abia are over as light has overtaken darkness. It is shining brighter than anyone ever imagined. The performance is electrifying to the point that Abians are ready to give their all for the ‘music to continue to play on.’

The recent gang up and comments of the three past governors and their followers have provoked protests from every nook and cranny of Abia. The leader of the opposition group, Senator Orji Kalu made comments claiming his performance in government was better than the present one. Dear Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, let Abians be the umpire. But, of course, sharply, Abians have responded unanimously with capital NO!

The people of Abia, in their thousands have taken over every mass media platform to counter Orji Kalu. They have reminded him that, his years in power were a sorry state. He abandoned development and good governance, and did not uplift the state. There was no record of infrastructural development to his scorecard. He couldn’t pay salaries, allowances and pensions. He was busy playing politics to the gallery, wanting to be the political champion of Ndi Igbo.

It was Senators Orji Kalu and T A Orji who actually privatized governance in Abia. While Orji Kalu, his mum, Eunice and brothers dictated the tunes during his tenure, T A Orji and his son, Chinedu controlled power during the reign of the father.

Orji Kalu made mention of the fact that Gov. Otti was operating from his private home. But if the three PDP former governors built a befitting government house, there would have been no need for Otti to operate from his Nvosi country home.

Again, there are unsubstantiated rumours about evil rituals performed in the government house by the past former executives that may have scared off Gov. Otti. Orji Kalu could have quietly advised Gov. Otti to quicken the construction of the new government house and relocate realizing government business is a serious business not to be handled in a private home and not for him to use it as a political campaign tool.

Sen. Kalu was running around the South East and the country pulling every Igbo politician and elder down in order to be relevant in the South East political list but, Ndi Igbo now know their true leaders. Orji Kalu’s name is certainly missing on that list.

He engaged former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a political battle. While he was doing all that, according to a court verdict some years later, he was found guilty to have looted Abia

The gang up of these three – Orji Kalu, T A Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu against Alex Otti have not stopped Abians from lining up in their thousands behind Alex Otti come 2027. And, the reason is very clear: there is a big departure from the rottened past.

In Gov. Otti’s government, civil servants are paid as and when due. No person in Abia civil service is owed today unlike in the past when they were owed for years until this same Otti came on board to get it cleared.

No performance record of the three past governors in their 24 years can match the present progressive development witnessed in Abia state in just less than three years.

Gov. Otti, no doubt, has re-defined governance in the state. He has shown that, indeed, something good can come out of Abia. In less than three years, he has removed the state from the list of the most undeveloped state in Nigeria.

Today, Umuahia is no longer the ordinary village circle it used to be under the past administrations. Umuahia has practically changed. There are evidences of organization and infrastructural development and improvement of the social structure. Any individual who visited Umuahia in 2022 will surely miss his/her way today. This is not an exaggeration but a reality.

Umuahia’s roads and streets have been expanded and built to modern standards. The roads are now dualized with walkways, street and traffic lights at major stations. Street traders have been moved out of the roads to create easy movement of persons and vehicles.

Transporters now have designated bus stops and parks to pick and discharge passengers. A major bus terminal is under construction at the city centre, close to the popular Okpara Square.

A tour around this bus terminal reveals very organized departments. There are arrival and departure halls, surveillance rooms, eateries, and shopping stores. For those in Lagos, who may have visited the bus terminals at Oshodi and Ikeja, they will quickly grasp what I am talking about.

Aba, the commercial nerve centre is a delight to visit these days. This city prior to 2023 was full of junk. A slum. Not different from the Ajegunle or Ojora Badia, Lagos of old. The roads were a disaster. For you to meander the streets of Aba before Gov. Otti came on board, you needed a rain boot, rubber shoes or sandals. Yes, it was that bad.

Orji Uzor Kalu usually claims to be an ‘Aba brought up’ but failed woefully to give back to the city that, he lived and grew up in. The three past governors did not invest in this commercial city to raise its bar. Governors who failed for 24 years to lift Aba from the sorry state it was can’t be taken seriously.

Abia was almost losing its God’s gift (Aba) to other nearby cities before God intervened and brought us Alex Otti to restore the commercial city to an enviable position.

The roads in Aba have been rehabilitated. The Aba – Port-Harcourt road is a typical example as that road was completely avoided by motorists because of its terrible condition until Chioma ndi Abia came to our rescue.

There is a semblance of decency and organization in Aba presently. The popular Ariaria international market is going through reconstruction that bequeaths the market an international standard. The absence of night life in Aba, Umuahia and other towns some years ago has ended. Today, night life has returned fully to the advantage of the state’s economy.

Every town in Abia has winessed the presence of government. In Abia, the state is spared the menace of hoodlums. The federal security agencies and the state initiated security support group work jointly to checkmate criminality in the state.

Driving into Umuahia from any point of entry introduces the presence of government in the state unlike in the past. The city is sparkling because it is regularly cleaned. There is organization as environmental and transportation managers ensure decency and discipline among all citizens.

What has helped Gov. Alex Otti so far is his determination, zeal, focus and sincerity of purpose to work for the people and Abia in general.

Leadership must come with some form of a roadmap, consideration, discipline, humility, focus, tolerance, patience and determination to work for your people and community.

After the elections, Gov. Otti dropped campaign immediately and concentrated on delivering on his campaign promises. He may not have fulfilled all because governance is dynamic and unpredictable when you are holding the steering wheel. When you mount the seat of leadership, situations can change. But, so far, he is on track.

We must understand that governance is never a child’s play, whether it is in the village, local, state or federal level. The man at the helm of affairs must be fully prepared for the onerous task ahead. One of the scoring advantages for Gov. Otti is his willingness to listen and reduce grudges against anyone. The zeal to reclaim Abia for the people is unmatchable.

Severally, he has been bashed yet, he approached every insulting criticism with calmness. That is proof that he understands leadership. He admires and accepts favourable suggestions even if it is from the enemy camp.