NEWS
Gov. Otti Campaign Spokesman, Onyebuchi Ememanka Fires Back at Professor Nwaeze Over Abia Airport Video, ABSU Disciplinary Dispute
Abia State political discourse has taken another turn after the Director of Media of the Alex Otti Campaign Council, Onyebuchi Ememanka, responded to Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze over a video the university lecturer recently shared from the site of the proposed Abia Airport at Nsulu.
In a strongly worded article titled “The Professor and the Abia Airport,” Ememanka argued that while Nwaeze appeared to have intended the video as a criticism of the airport project, the footage also demonstrated that a physical site for the project exists and that work is underway.
According to Ememanka, the Abia State Government has never claimed that the airport project has been completed, stressing that airport construction is a major undertaking that requires time.
He also alleged that Nwaeze’s visit to the airport site was connected to an APC political meeting held at Mbubo Nsulu, where the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Eric Opah, had summoned party leaders.
Ememanka claimed that Nwaeze attended the meeting but did not publicly disclose his presence there, describing the omission as significant given the professor’s public commentary on Abia politics.
The campaign spokesman subsequently challenged Nwaeze to openly identify with the APC, arguing that political association is constitutionally protected and that there is nothing preventing a university lecturer from belonging to a political party.
Ememanka contrasted Nwaeze’s alleged discretion about his political affiliation with that of Dr. Dom Nwachukwu, whom he described as someone who has openly declared his political relationships on previous occasions.
Turning to the controversy surrounding Nwaeze’s employment at Abia State University, Ememanka said he had deliberately avoided commenting extensively on the matter because of his relationship with Nwaeze and his own role in Governor Otti’s communication structure.
He maintained that the university, as a statutory institution, has the authority to discipline members of its staff and argued that ongoing proceedings before a university panel should be allowed to run their course without prejudging the outcome.
Ememanka further rejected Nwaeze’s allegation that Governor Otti was responsible for his alleged persecution at the university.
He pointed to Nwaeze’s elevation to the rank of full professor of Development Economics during Otti’s tenure as governor, arguing that the academic’s assessment and promotion process had been completed before Governor Otti assumed office, while the university administration appointed under Governor Otti subsequently approved the elevation.
According to Ememanka, this demonstrated that the university’s management structures could act independently of the governor, both when approving academic advancement and when handling disciplinary matters.
The campaign spokesman also revisited Nwaeze’s previous criticism of lecturers’ salaries at the university, particularly a post in which the professor reportedly compared the earnings of an ABSU professor with those of a commercial tricycle operator.
Ememanka argued that many of the outstanding agreements involving university workers predated Otti’s administration and said the state government subsequently approved the full implementation of agreements reached with the university’s workers’ unions.
He further claimed that Otti apologised to workers over delays in implementing some of his directives and accepted responsibility for the administrative lapse.
Against that background, Ememanka challenged Nwaeze to publicly provide an updated assessment of lecturers’ salaries following the implementation of the new pay package.
The article also drew attention to infrastructure projects at Abia State University, including the ongoing Law Faculty building, Faculty of Agriculture building, renovated hostels and new hostel projects.
Ememanka, who said he and Nwaeze were both students at the university, recalled the deteriorating condition of the institution’s hostels in previous years and argued that the current rehabilitation efforts deserved the same level of public attention as the airport project.
He accused Nwaeze of selectively focusing on issues that could be used to criticise the Otti administration while overlooking developments that the government considers achievements.
Ememanka acknowledged that Nwaeze has the right to criticise the government and participate in politics, but maintained that the Otti campaign equally has the right to respond to criticism during the election season. He invoked Newton’s Third Law of Motion to frame the political exchange, stating that action would inevitably attract reaction.
The campaign spokesman also raised a security concern over Nwaeze’s presence at the airport construction site, pointing to signage reportedly restricting unauthorised access and warning that construction sites of such nature carry security implications.
The article ended with Ememanka reaffirming that, despite their political differences, he regarded Nwaeze as his brother and friend, while making it clear that their respective political positions would shape their public engagements during the campaign period.