Hon. Dannie “Manja” Ubani Blasts Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu Over Comments Against Governor Alex Otti, Declares, “Abia Is Not for Sale to APC in 2027”

A prominent chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State and the 2023 Isiala Ngwa State Constituency candidate, Hon. Dannie “Manja” Ubani popularly known as “Ord. Eze Muo” has strongly reacted to the recent statements credited to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, regarding Governor Alex Otti and the claim that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over Abia State come 2027.

Speaking during a radio interview on “The Agenda” programme aired on DON 103.7 FM, Hon. Ubani addressed what he described as “misconceptions and dangerous political provocations” emanating from the Deputy Speaker’s comments against Governor Otti.

“…It’s not all about Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu and his ambition. If he wants to run for the office of the governorship of Abia State, he’s entitled to his right to contest, but Abians, as of right, are at liberty to reject him.

“So he shouldn’t stoke fire; he shouldn’t set the Governor up against the Federal Government just to gain mileage and leverage. And he shouldn’t bandy falsified, outrageous figures to pitch the people against the Governor. Let him say his truth as he knows it. If he wants to contest, I encourage him to throw his hat into the ring, then let Abians decide. Whatever Abians decide, so be it,” Ubani stated.

Ubani, in a separate remark, referred to Benjamin Kalu as “a butterfly who thinks himself a bird,” accusing him of political arrogance and self-importance.

“We’re not in a Banana Republic or the backward times of civilization. This is a nation sketched by intellectuals. Leadership is a vocation of the elites, and it beckons on us to speak truth to power.

“Are we creating Abia’s allocation either JAAC or FAAC from the benevolence of Mr. President? No! The Federal Government and the Office of the President are creations of the law, just as Abia State is a creation of the law.

“What accrues to Abia State is a right, not a favour from Mr. President. And I’m asking, what special act of benevolence has Mr. President done to Abia that warrants talking down on the efforts of the state government? Governor Otti is using Abia’s resources to deliver dividends of democracy to Abians,” he asserted.

Hon. Ubani also challenged claims that federal assistance to Abia should be seen as an act of generosity, citing federal road projects that have long been neglected.

“Should Abia be grateful for Port Harcourt Road or Uhanku Road? Both are federal roads and the responsibility of the Federal Government to fix. They abdicated their duties, allowing Abians and Ndi-Igbo by extension to suffer and die in their numbers.

“Yet, Governor Alex Otti deviated from his core duties to use the limited resources available to him to fix these roads. That’s leadership!” Ubani emphasized.

He went on to describe Governor Otti as “the Starboy of this Democratic Dispensation,” condemning Benjamin Kalu’s social media post where he claimed to be “the voice of opposition.”

“Ben Kalu made a post on his verified Facebook handle two nights ago, proclaiming himself as the voice of opposition and that the voice of opposition is rising. Nigerians battered him and took him to the cleaners. You are the sixth-ranking political officer in the country, yet you pride yourself in division? That’s irresponsible,” Ubani declared.

The Labour Party chieftain further alleged that Kalu’s actions were politically motivated to set up Governor Otti against President Bola Tinubu.

“Let me tell you, Ben Kalu wants to set up the Governor against the President for political reasons. Of course, you’ve seen his body language. It’s his right to do politics, but let him be modest, let him be civilized, and let him not play politics at the expense of the peace, stability, and prosperity we’re enjoying here,” he added.

When asked about Kalu’s boast that the APC would use “federal might” to capture Abia in 2027, Hon. Ubani dismissed the statement as “delusional.”

“What do you understand by federal might? Abituriness, state capture? Let’s assume, without conceding, that Abia is captured in 2027 by the APC goons, who stands to lose? Is it Alex Otti? What does he need again in life that God hasn’t given him even before becoming governor?

“I once asked him during the 2023 campaign, when he was stressing himself to convince people who refused to listen to logic and reasoning, ‘Sir, what are you really looking for?’ He said, ‘We must rewrite the history of our people, wipe away shame from the face of Abians, and restore Abia’s pride among the comity of states.’ And that he has done.

“So if Abia is captured in 2027, does Otti lose anything? No! You lose, I lose, Abians lose. But let me tell you, that won’t happen,” Ubani declared.

He also challenged the idea that the President could “take over” Abia State.

“Is he taking Abia State, is it his mother’s property? You’re sounding slavish. That’s a slavish psychology,” Ubani fired back.

Reacting to Benjamin Kalu’s claim that the APC would take over Abia in 2027, Ubani said:

“He (Ben Kalu) immediately corrected himself, saying it’s not by might but through the electoral process. Every politics is local. Abians are being conscientized and that’s my mission here this morning. It’s part of that conscientization process. 

“We, as non-state actors, are sensitizing our people to understand that this state belongs to all of us. No APC goons will trampled Abia under the jackboot of manipulation and political thievery.”

Hon. Dannie “Manja” Ubani’s remarks have since sparked wide reactions among political watchers in Abia, many describing his outburst as a bold defense of Governor Alex Otti’s administration and a clear warning that Abians will resist any external pol itical manipulation ahead of the 2027 elections.