Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has stated emphatically that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu will not return to the Senate after the 2027 general elections.
The governor said the Labour Party is fully prepared to prevent the former Abia State governor from reclaiming the Abia North senatorial seat.
He made the assertion while responding to recent comments attributed to Senator Kalu concerning the 2027 elections.
Kalu was reported to have spoken in Ebonyi State, where he pledged to secure a landslide victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
He also suggested that he would support the emergence of an APC governor in Abia State.
Reacting to the remarks, Governor Otti, through a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Ferdinand Ekeoma, dismissed Kalu’s claims and stressed that he does not require the senator’s endorsement for his political ambitions.
Otti described Kalu’s repeated public emphasis on refusing to support him against the APC as unnecessary and lacking seriousness.
He maintained that he never sought the senator’s backing nor requested that he work against his party.
The governor further challenged Kalu to publish election results from his ward and polling units from the 2023 elections.
According to Otti, official results showed that the APC performed poorly in Bende Local Government Area, Kalu’s home base, during both the governorship and presidential polls.
He questioned how the APC could lose elections in the senator’s constituency despite Kalu’s claims of working tirelessly for the party and President Tinubu, arguing that this cast doubt on the senator’s grassroots political influence.
Governor Otti reiterated that his 2023 electoral victory was driven by trust, character, and a clear development agenda for Abia State.
He said the support he received was based on promises that have since translated into tangible results across the state.
Expressing confidence ahead of 2027, Otti said the people of Abia would offer him even stronger support, having witnessed the performance of his administration in less than three years.
He described the backing of Abians as firm and unwavering.
The governor also took a swipe at Kalu over reports that the senator’s younger brother plans to contest the 2027 governorship election.
He recalled that the same individual ran for the office in 2023 under a different party and finished last.
Otti disclosed that several aspirants have already indicated interest in contesting the Abia North senatorial seat under the Labour Party.
He assured that whoever emerges as the party’s candidate would receive the full backing of his administration ahead of the 2027 polls.
