A chieftain of the Labour Party in Abia State and former Secretary to State Government, SSG, Chief Ralph Egbu, has condemned in strong terms, the recent verbal attacks targeted at Governor Alex Otti by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
Chief Egbu, who was reacting to the statements made by the Deputy Speaker during the commissioning of projects executed by Governor Otti in the state by President Bola Tinubu represented by Minister of Works David Umahi, as well as his statements at an event he held on Sunday, said Ben Kalu acted out of protocol by giving what would appear like a state of the state address at a function put together by the state Governor, whereas he wasn’t the guest of Honor.
He stated that Ben Kalu “Going ahead to try to play down the Governor’s great achievements in the presence of a full house of Abia people, gathered by the governor was most uncharitable of the Deputy Speaker and a clear act of sabotage.
Egbu stressed that “the Deputy Speaker, given his position, has a huge platform to have canvassed his view on nation building and politics, including direct access to the President, and he ought to have said whatever he wants to say using those platforms as well as reaching out directly to the president to make whatever agitation he had in mind.
“Then coming to Abia to do so was just playing to the gallery and trying to whip up local sentiments that have the potential of turning our peaceful state into a political battlefield. This should not be condemned,” Egbu underlined.
Chief Egbu opined that the language used by the Deputy Speaker was not democratic, explaining that it pointed to the possible employment of rough tactics in attaining personal political gains.
“In saner climes, in places where politics was taken as a very serious pathway to development, by now the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Ben Kalu would have been facing calls for resignation from office for saying that in 2007 they would take Abia’’.
“That is not a democratic language. It shows a predisposition not only to violence but to maneuver of the electoral processes, and subvert them with a view to achieving parochial aims, and that shouldn’t be allowed. So he should be cautioned.
The veteran journalist, who is also a former Commissioner for Information in Abia State, equally warned opposition members against antics and politics capable of causing crises in Abia state, and condemned the opposition for the attempt to demean the state Governor in the build up to the project commissioning ceremonies.
“I hereby warn opposition party members operating within and outside the state against antics and politics capable of turning the state into a killing field, as is the case in most states across the federation.
“I condemn the opposition for the attempt to demean the state Governor through various distractive events and outbursts before the commissioning, that were desired to rubbish the commissioning itself, which took place in Aba and Umuahia.
Egbu maintained there is no vacancy in Abia Government House in 2027, as Governor Otti has done far more than enough to gain a merited second term, adding that Abia state has been very peaceful and its politics devoid of the kind of maneuvering that often leads to destruction of lives, property, and stalling of development in other states.
He noted that Abia residents have shown the readiness to fight anybody or groups who want to retard current progress being made across the state.
