Gov Otti, Kalu camps war over $263.8m loan
By Steve Oko
The political rift between Abia State Governor Alex Otti and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has deepened as the state’s Chief Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Chief Iheanyi Chinasa, berated Kalu over his recent comments on a $263.8 million loan facility obtained by the state government.
The facility was secured for the Abia State Integrated Infrastructural Development Project ABSIID, an initiative aimed at accelerating infrastructure development across the state.
According to Chinasa, the credit facility came from a consortium of three banks — Islamic Development Bank ($125 million), African Development Bank (AfDB) ($100 million), and Canada–Africa Development Bank ($15 million) — with Abia State Government contributing $23.8 million as counterpart funding.
Chinasa, who hails from the same constituency as the Deputy Speaker, accused Kalu of “crying wolf where there is none,” stressing that the state has not drawn a single kobo from the facility.
“These funds are still with the banks. The state has not drawn a single kobo from them as I speak. This information is in the public domain for anyone to verify,” he stated.
He faulted the Deputy Speaker for allegedly peddling “false narratives” to discredit Governor Otti’s administration and described his remarks as politically motivated.
“Why does the Deputy Speaker like to misinform the public? Is this desperation to create controversy or to present himself as being persecuted for the President’s sake?” Chinasa queried.
He said it was “shocking” for Kalu to demand results from a loan that had yet to be disbursed, accusing him of attempting to blackmail the state government at every opportunity.
Chinasa advised Kalu to focus on representing Bende Federal Constituency effectively and to “stop his unprovoked attacks against Governor Otti.”
“If he thinks he has the popularity and capacity to compete with Governor Otti, he should wait for 2027 and contest,” Chinasa added.
He maintained that Governor Otti had performed creditably with available resources and deserved commendation, not criticism.
The tension between both camps escalated after Kalu recently claimed that developments in Abia State were not commensurate with the funds accruing to the state, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be praised for increasing federal allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy.
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