Deputy Speaker ( DS ) of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu of the APC told his Abia state governor of the Labour Party, Dr Alex Otti that he ( Kalu ) would remain committed to partnering with him ( Otti ) to build a brighter future for their Abia State.
The DS stated this in his birthday message to governor Otti who clocked 61 years of age on Wednesday wishing him ( Otti ) many more years in good health.
The DS had on behalf of his family and Bende Federal Constituents, wished Otti a happy birthday anniversary, describing Governor Otti as a “big brother, friend and governor,” and commended what he ( DS ) acknowledged as governor Otti’s dedication to the growth and development of Abia State.
Hon Kalu lauded governor Otti’s sustained commitment to improving the welfare of Abia residents, stating however, that his ( DS ) calls for governor Otti to improve his efforts to advance the state development , should not be seen as disregarding the impactful progress governor Otti administration”s already made and still making.
He (DS ) stated “my call for more work is to better the lot of our people and does not diminish the efforts already made, by the Otti’s administration”.
According to the DS, who said that there are inherent challenges of governance, expressing strong confidence that the collective resolve of stakeholders would sustain positive transformation across the state, vowed to “always commit to partnering with governor Otti to build a brighter future for their Abia State”.
Recall that DS Kalu had openly underscored governor Otti’s achievements in various sectors, describing them as not being commensurate with the federal allocations and other state incomes, and urged Otti to improve.
He also alleged that he ( Otti ) did not acknowledge the contributions of the federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the development of Abia, threatening that he ( DS ) might democratically do the needful that would stall governor Otti’s reelection in 2027
DS also urged Otti to defect to the APC from his Labour Party, promising that if he ( Otti) does so, he ( DS) would ensure that he ( Otti ) takes over the leadership of the state APC.
Otti in reaction stated that though he would remain in the Labour Party, he would leave the future to decide otherwise.
REPORTED BY GORDI UDEAJAH
