Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, the executive Governor of Abia State, wasn’t just another run-off-the-mill politician seeking for power, when he launched his electoral bid for the Government House, Umuahia, back in 2015
He was also a desperately ambitious one.
Riding on the fairweather political waves of Peter Obi and the Labour Party, having suffered strings of electoral misfortunes as he darted in and out political parties in pursuit of his dream, Dr. Alex Otti was able to latch unto the wave of popular discontent for Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s government, riding on the currents of strong feelings and genuine disaffection of Abians for the previous administration.
That was probably when he realised that demagoguery, is indeed a very powerful tool to drive his political ambition, if deployed skillfully and stealthily.
Expectedly, sentiments won him the gubernatorial election and the keys to the Government House Umuahia.
Demagoguery is at its core, a manipulative political practice that prioritizes a leader’s selfish interest and ambition, over the common good.
No sooner had he settled down as governor than he realised that, much as he could easily manipulate the base emotions and petty sentiments of the hoi-polloi, the same strategy would prove grossly ineffective against influential political leaders like Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu PhD CFR, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
It all began with the dramatic scene that ensued when, during one the interviews he granted to an online media platform, the Deputy Speaker, speaking as a Party man, had boldly declared that the next governor of the State would come from the stables of his Party, APC.
The governor, panic stricken, reacted by
deploying what has come to be known as his primary weapon of choice and defence mechanism….. emotional blackmail and demagoguery.
His unwarranted but panicky reaction to the Deputy Speaker’s right to free speech, was the blatant exploitation of the fears, anxieties and prejudices of the political ne’er-do-wells in Abia, who had erroneously perceived the Deputy Speaker’s growing political influence in the Southeast region, as a revelation of their failures.
In his frenzy, Dr. Otti launched a media campaign against the Deputy Speaker, unleashing his army of hoodwinked media aides against the most influential, most impactful and the most recognisable political leader in the Southeast, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu PhD CFR.
To shore up his tattered defences, the governor even engaged the services of some
internally displaced politicians and ex-convicts, all in an attempt to portray the Deputy Speaker as the villain.
The Deputy Speaker, who’s effective representation of Bende Federal Constituency has been widely acknowledged across the political spectrum, has consistently maintained a healthy relationship in order to foster collaborative partnership with the governor, for a more impactful leadership in Abia.
Regrettably, the Abia State governor, went as far as weaponising and deploying rhetorics that has begun to undermine the function of reasoned debate on transparency, fiscal accountability and evidence-based policy-making, while resorting to falsehoods and conspiracy theories to overwhelm constructive public discourse.
Distrustful as Dr. Otti is, he prompted one of his unholy allies, to launch a string of direct and indirect attacks on the person of the Deputy Speaker, during the commissioning of some roads projects in Aba, for daring to remind the governor to show appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who’s timely removal of the oil subsidy, resulted in very significant increase in FAAC allocations to the States…….an increment that afforded Dr. Otti the financial windfall to embark on his infrastructural initiatives.
As a genuinely concerned citizen of Abia and seasoned Legislator, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu’s oversight duties cannot be over-emphasized.
It thus became even more worrisome when Dr. Alex Otti’s camp, responded with their signature apprehension, to the Deputy Speaker’s call for transparency and openness in financial records of the State especially concerning the FAAC allocations.
Dr. Otti and his camp, resorted to the amplification of political cleavages in Abia to an “us Vs them” narrative instead of setting the records straight.
They singled out the Deputy Speaker as the chief protagonist and began scapegoating others just to divert attention from the real issues.
By promoting emotional manipulation and inflammatory rhetoric, the Abia State government of Alex Otti, is advertently making constructive dialogue, compromise and mutual understanding nearly impossible, further fragmenting society.
The tension is further fueled by the inconsistencies surrounding the opaque procurement records of the $263.8M loan secured by the Abia State Integrated Infrastructural Development (ABSIID) project.
Dr. Otti, who interestingly as a bank executive, had surreptitiously blocked the approval of same loan facility for his predecessor, citing inconsistencies and lack of transparency by the previous administration.
But unlike Otti, the Deputy Speaker, who wields enough political clout to determine the approval of the facility, did not stop the loan but dared to ask for transparency in the procurement and transaction history of the loan.
The utterances of one the questionable characters in Otti’s government, who also doubles as his “Liaison Officer” is indeed tantamount to the governor using his support base to systemically dismantle the very freedoms and legal structures that enabled his rise to power.
Dr. Alex Otti has just replaced virtuous and responsible leadership with manipulative tyranny.
Chikodi Eze
