Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has vowed that the Labour Party (LP) will thwart Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s attempt to return to the Senate in 2027.

Otti made the remarks in response to a statement attributed to Kalu, in which the senator, speaking in Ebonyi State, pledged to ensure a landslide victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, including backing the production of the state’s next governor from the party.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, Governor Otti dismissed Kalu’s comments, asserting that he does not need Kalu’s support for his own re-election in 2027.

Otti described Kalu’s repeated insistence on not supporting him against his party’s candidate as “pedestrian and ludicrous,” and challenged the senator to produce the unit and ward-level results from the last governorship and presidential elections.

He claimed that the APC performed poorly in all polling units and wards in Bende Local Government Area, Kalu’s home constituency, during the 2023 elections.

According to Otti, “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered to respond to Senator Kalu over whom he chooses to work with or for, since it’s within his constitutional and democratic rights but because he drew the name of Governor Alex Otti into it once again, we thought it appropriate to respond and put the records straight.

“First, Governor Alex Otti has never gone to Senator Kalu to appeal to him to support his re-election bid, neither has he ever made any attempt to convince him to work against his party the APC or their would-be Governorship Candidate in 2027.

“Senator Kalu’s penchant for consistent emphasis on not supporting Otti against his party and would-be Candidate, has, to say the least, become pedestrian and ludicrous.

“If Senator Kalu’s repeated statements are geared towards issuing subtle threats to Governor Otti, then he is committing a calamitous blunder of costly consequences, because threats toughen rather than frighten or weaken Governor Otti.

“Again, those who genuinely want to support their party and candidates do not make unnecessary noise about it, rather they show it through hard work and sincere dedication.

“At this point, we challenge Senator Kalu to produce his unit and ward results in the last Governorship and Presidential elections.

“The results from INEC show clearly that the APC lost woefully both in the Governorship and Presidential elections at the polling units and wards of all the APC candidates in the 2023 election in Bende LGA where Senator Kalu hails from.

“The question is, if he truly worked for the President and his party, why did the President lose in his constituency while he won in the election conducted on the same day?

“Again, if Governor Otti could convince the people to so unanimously vote for him and the LP in the last election when they supported him merely on the strength of his character, capacity to serve, excellent antecedents and sound campaign manifesto which were just promises, and which saw him emerge the only LP Governor in the whole country, how does Senator Kalu think that the people would not support and vote massively for Governor Otti and any other candidates or party he directs them to vote for having seen the enduring transformation he has brought in the state in less than three years as Governor.

“It would be strange if Senator Kalu has yet to realise that Abia people see Governor Alex Otti as their best political party, and his re-election as a divine project that must be executed with courage, passion and precision.

“Finally, we congratulate Senator Kalu for drafting his younger brother into the 2027 governorship race. We need to remind him that this same brother of his was in the race for the 2023 Governorship election as the flag bearer of APP where he placed last at the end of polls.

“It must also be noted that at the moment, four capable and formidable Senatorial Aspirants have indicated their intention to run for the Abia North seat under Labour Party and whoever amongst them wins the primaries would receive massive support from the Governor to win the elections come 2027.” (THE NATION)