NEWS
2027 POLITICS: 85 UKWA-LA-NGWA APPOINTEES, NINE MAYORS RALLY BEHIND GOV. ALEX OTTI, REJECT ETHNIC POLITICS AND MISLEADING NARRATIVES
…as Appointees Warn Politicians Against Denigrating Ukw-La-Ngwa, Insist Abia’s Development Must Not Be Sacrificed for Personal Ambitions
Eighty-five political appointees of Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, OFR, alongside nine mayors from Ukwa-La-Ngwa, have declared their unwavering support for the state government’s development agenda, warning politicians against exploiting ethnic sentiments, sub-ethnic divisions and misleading narratives to undermine the administration.
The appointees, who described attempts to portray the people of Ukwa-La-Ngwa as opposed to the Otti administration as politically motivated and disconnected from reality, insisted that the collective interests of Abia State must take precedence over personal ambitions and divisive political calculations.
They made their position known at a press conference organised by Ukwa-La-Ngwa political appointees serving in the Otti administration at the JAAC Secretariat, Umuahia, on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
The high-profile gathering, attended by several commissioners, senior government officials, political appointees and local government mayors from the zone, provided a platform for the group to address what it described as negative political narratives circulating across social media and other public spaces concerning the relationship between the people of Ukwa-La-Ngwa and Governor Otti.
Speaking on behalf of the appointees, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, PhD, explained that the press conference was convened following a collective decision to respond to what he described as an emerging pattern of negative criticism, clan-based sentiments and politically motivated attacks against the administration.
Ajagba attributed the attacks to Governor Otti’s determination to dismantle the old order of governance, promote transparency and accountability, and ensure that public resources are deployed towards the development of Abia State rather than the interests of a privileged few.
He maintained that the governor’s approach to leadership had fundamentally changed public expectations of governance in the state, adding that the administration’s commitment to accountability and responsible management of public resources was at the heart of the political opposition it continued to face.
“It is important we underscore this; every Abian, every Nigerian including those in the international community could attest to the situation of Abia State before the advent of the Alex Otti administration.
“He (Gov. Otti) has demystified governance. The only crime he has committed is that he has vowed that the resources accruing to Abia State must be used for the development of Abia State,“ Pastor Ajagba stated.
The Chief of Staff argued that the enormous challenges inherited by the present administration could not reasonably be expected to disappear within three years, particularly after what he described as 24 years of poor governance and misrule.
According to him, the structural and institutional challenges accumulated over the years require sustained commitment, strategic planning and consistent implementation of policies rather than political distractions and incessant criticism.
He further observed that some of the individuals now criticising Governor Otti were associated with the political administrations under which the state’s development challenges accumulated, yet they were demanding immediate solutions to problems that had persisted for decades.
“A government that came to correct maladministration and address the rot of the past cannot begin to dissipate its energy responding to people who created the problems.
“It will be a kind of disfigured expectation and misplaced priority for anyone to expect that, within 24 years of what Abia has passed through, three years would be enough to fix it.
“The same set of people who created the problem are the people who are now pointing accusing fingers at His Excellency, who is trying to address the maladministration that Abia faced over the past 24 years,” Ajagba stated.
He stressed that the future of Abia State must not be held hostage by political rivalries or sacrificed on the altar of individual interests, insisting that political engagement should revolve around ideas, policies and practical solutions to the challenges confronting the state.
Ajagba consequently called on political actors to embrace issue-based campaigns, urging them to present credible alternatives and engage the electorate on development priorities instead of resorting to personal attacks, ethnic sentiments and attempts to discredit the government.
“This is a warning to everyone. I believe that the kind of campaigns we should be looking at should be issue-based campaigns, things that will address the challenges Abia is facing,” he said.
On appointments into government positions, the Chief of Staff explained that the Otti administration prioritised integrity, competence, capacity, capability and merit, noting that the insistence on these principles had attracted criticism from some quarters.
He maintained that public appointments should be determined by the ability of individuals to contribute meaningfully to governance and service delivery rather than by considerations that undermine competence or promote political patronage.
Ajagba also noted that Abia had recorded developments across different sectors under the current administration and was attracting growing attention, urging political stakeholders not to diminish the state’s progress simply because of partisan disagreements.
He assured residents that Governor Otti remained focused on his development agenda and would continue to discharge his responsibilities to the people, explaining that the press conference was organised to clarify misleading narratives and reaffirm the appointees’ commitment to the administration.
In a related development, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, who read the eight-point resolution adopted by the appointees, confirmed that the 85 political appointees and nine mayors from Ukwa-La-Ngwa had endorsed the resolutions.
Nwachukwu said the group had observed what it described as “disjointed and politically motivated narratives” circulating on social media, particularly claims suggesting that the people of Ukwa La Ngwa were opposed to the Otti administration.
He condemned attempts to use such narratives to create divisions between the governor and the people of the zone, warning that politicians seeking personal advantage must not be allowed to damage the relationship between the people and their son, who currently occupies the highest political office in the state.
The commissioner reaffirmed that the appointees fully identified with Governor Otti’s vision, policies and development agenda, declaring that they would resist efforts by individuals or political groups to denigrate Ukwa-La-Ngwa or portray its relationship with the governor in a negative light.
“We shall stoutly resist, within the limits of legitimate democratic engagement, any attempt by any politician or group of politicians to denigrate our people and present in a negative light our very beautiful relationship with our son, the Governor, and his administration.
“The infantile narratives about whether Governor Alex Otti is Ngwa or not are not only unfortunate but connote an absolute lack of knowledge or idiocy. Not even Dr. Alex Otti can reverse, after three generations before him, the fact of his land of birth and the potency of the earth that hosts his umbilical cord after birth,” Prince Nwachukwu stated.
Nwachukwu maintained that the people of Ukwa-La-Ngwa were adequately represented in the present administration, with their sons and daughters occupying positions through which they were contributing to the governance and development of Abia State.
He acknowledged that citizens had the democratic right to express their opinions, criticise government policies and engage in constructive dissent.
However, he drew a distinction between legitimate political disagreement and what he described as the deliberate use of ethnic identity to advance individual political ambitions at the expense of the wider community.
The commissioner warned that the Ukwa La Ngwa political platform must not be turned into an instrument for personal political calculations capable of undermining the zone’s collective interests.
He urged political actors to exercise restraint and ensure that their campaigns did not introduce unnecessary sub-ethnic divisions into the state’s political discourse.
“We hereby advise all Ukwa-La-Ngwa sons and daughters, whose stock in trade is to seek to embarrass our collective sensibilities as a people by giving a needless sub-ethnic slant to their campaigns against the Governor, to retrace their steps immediately.
“We urge our people to remain calm and allow the present administration, which has demonstrated a clear and unmistakable desire to rebuild the broken walls of development in the state, to continue in its trajectory,” he said.
The commissioner also expressed concern over what he described as the introduction of traditional practices into political campaigns, alleging that some individuals had poured alcoholic drinks as libations at campaign grounds.
He condemned the alleged practice in strong terms, describing it as inappropriate in the context of political engagement and calling on political actors to conduct their activities responsibly.
“For the first time in my life in politics, I’m seeing people who go to campaigns, and then they are carrying hot drinks to pour libation on campaign grounds. That is devilish. That is witchcraft,” he said.
Nwachukwu added that the appointees would not remain silent when they believed that political activities or public narratives threatened the collective interests of Abia State. He reiterated that political disagreements should not degenerate into insults, personal attacks or actions capable of deepening divisions among the people.
The group consequently reaffirmed its “continued, unalloyed and determined support” for Governor Otti, emphasising that the administration’s development agenda should be allowed to proceed without unnecessary distractions.
The declaration by the Ukwa-La-Ngwa appointees comes amid increasing political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the group insisting that the performance of government, policy choices and the welfare of citizens should form the foundation of political debate in Abia State.
The appointees maintained that their position was not a rejection of democratic criticism but a call for responsible political engagement that prioritises development, accountability and the collective aspirations of Abians over divisive rhetoric.
Among the prominent government officials present at the press conference were the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu; Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Dr Matthew Ekwuribe; Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu Monday; Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Sir Nwaobilor Nwadinma Ananaba; Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi; and Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Hon. Kingsley Nwokocha.
Others included the Director of Finance of the Abia State Labour Party Governorship Campaign Council, Dr Eric Egwuibe; Director of Publicity of the Labour Party Governorship Campaign Council, Barr. Onyebuchi Ememanka; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Transport, Dr Obioma Rueben Nwogbe; Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment Promotion, Chief Greene Amankwe; Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Aba Zone, Hon. Okezie Ezengwa; and Coordinator of the Abia State Harmonized Taskforce (ASHTF), Aba Zone, Chief Uche Wogu.
Also in attendance were the Mayor of Aba South Local Government Area, Hon. Obialor Denis Anyanwu, and other political appointees and government representatives from Ukwa La Ngwa.
The press conference concluded with a clear message from the appointees: political differences must not be allowed to undermine the relationship between Governor Otti and the people of Ukwa-La-Ngwa, while the collective interests and development 
of Abia State must remain the overriding priority of every political stakeholder.