ABA — Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has mounted a fierce defense of Governor Alex Otti, dismissing the “road painter” insults from former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu while delivering a scathing critique of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the President Bola Tinubu-led federal administration.
Speaking at a political gathering in Abia, the veteran lawmaker mocked the derogatory labels used by Kalu to describe Governor Otti’s infrastructural drive. Abaribe asserted that if the total reconstruction of Abia’s collapsed road network is what the opposition calls “painting,” the citizens are ready to re-elect the “painter” in 2027.
“They called Governor Alex Otti a painter. No problem. We want him to keep painting for us in Abia State,” Abaribe declared. “Come 2027, he will be elected to continue painting for the people. Anyone who wants to challenge him will have to face me first.”
Scathing Critique of Kalu and APC
Abaribe’s remarks were a direct response to Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who recently alleged that Otti was merely refurbishing roads built during his 1999–2007 tenure. Abaribe dismissed Kalu’s claims as the “bitterness of a displaced political class,” accusing the former governor and his party, the APC, of leaving Abia in ruins during their years of dominance.
Turning his gaze toward the national stage, Abaribe lambasted the APC-led federal government for the economic hardship gripping the nation. He argued that while the Tinubu administration presides over astronomical inflation and security failures, the APC in Abia has the “audacity” to criticize a governor who is providing tangible relief to his people.
“While the APC at the center is busy ‘painting’ a picture of prosperity that Nigerians cannot see on their plates, Governor Otti is busy delivering roads that we can actually drive on,” Abaribe noted. He further characterized the Tinubu administration’s policies as “anti-people,” contrasting them with the Labour Party (LP) administration’s focus on workers’ welfare and prompt salary payments in Abia.
The Battle for 2027
The endorsement signals a major realignment in Abia politics, as Abaribe—a heavyweight in the opposition—is effectively forming a cross-party alliance to protect Otti from a looming coalition of former governors. He warned that the “old guard” represented by Orji Kalu and the APC would find no vacuum to return to power in 2027, as the people have “tested light after years of APC-facilitated darkness.”
