Abia State's political arena is heating up faster than a dry-season harmattan, with former governors Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji forging an unlikely alliance aimed straight at unseating Governor Alex Otti in the 2027 elections. Whispers from Aba markets to Umuahia government house corridors paint a picture of regrouped warhorses, tired of Otti's reformist swagger and ready to reclaim their turf.
Sources close to the ex-govs' camps say the duo met discreetly last week in a low-key Enugu hotel, hashing out strategies over plates of spicy ofe nsala and chilled palm wine. Kalu, the Senate Chief Whip whose influence still echoes from his days as Abia North senator, brings the cash and federal muscle. Orji, the ex-senator and one-time labour leader turned political heavyweight, delivers the grassroots PDP machinery that's been itching for a comeback. "It's not personal; it's about saving Abia from one-man rule," a confidant spilled, hinting at their joint push for a unified opposition ticket.
Otti, the Labour Party maverick who swept in on promises of fiscal discipline and urban revival, isn't flinching. His camp dismisses the regrouping as "desperate relics clinging to expired mandates." Since 2023, Otti has slashed debt, revived Aba's shoe clusters, and poured funds into roads linking Ohafia to Umuahia moves that have won him applause in trading hubs but irked loyalists of the old guard. Yet, cracks show: recent town hall grumblings over unpaid contractor bills and slow pension payouts have given the ex-govs fresh ammunition.
The real fireworks could ignite at the PDP primaries come mid-year. Kalu eyes the gubernatorial nod, with Orji as his running mate or kingmaker, blending Igbo heartland appeal with federal ties. "Abia people are weary of experiments; they want tested hands," one PDP stalwart from Umuahia North boasted. Analysts see this as a high-stakes chess game Otti's LP youth brigade versus the ex-govs' deep-pocketed networks, all under the shadow of President Tinubu's APC, which might play spoiler or kingmaker.
As campaign billboards sprout like mushrooms after rain, Abia's voters brace for the mother of all showdowns. Will Otti's broom sweep clean again, or do the old lions roar back? One thing's certain: 2027 in Abia won't be a quiet affair.