ABIA APC’S PRESS RELEASE: WHEN OPPOSITION POLITICS DESCENDS INTO ARITHMETICAL FICTION
The recent press release issued by the Abia State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, concerning Governor Alex Otti’s prospects in the 2027 election deserves a firm response—not because the APC is forbidden from aspiring to govern Abia State, but because political aspiration must not be presented as evidence, and allegations must not be substituted for verified facts.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is an experienced politician, a former governor of Abia State and a serving senator. When he offers an assessment of Governor Otti’s electoral strength, the APC may disagree with him, but it cannot dismiss his opinion as “wishful thinking” merely because it is inconvenient.
Indeed, the anxiety displayed in the APC statement suggests that Senator Kalu may have publicly acknowledged a political reality that some members of his party are unwilling to confront: Governor Alex Otti remains a formidable political force in Abia State.
An Election Is Not Won Through Press Releases
The Abia APC says it will win the governorship, all three senatorial seats, all eight House of Representatives seats and all 24 seats in the Abia State House of Assembly.
That is not a political strategy. It is an extravagant prediction.
A party that wishes to govern Abia must first present a credible programme, a competitive candidate, a united organisation and a convincing explanation of what it would do differently. Merely announcing that every available seat will be won does not make it so.
The APC should also remember its own political history in Abia. It has never governed the state since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999. It therefore carries the burden of persuading Abians, rather than speaking as though the state has already been delivered to it.
The ₦40 Billion Monthly Allocation Claim Is Misleading
The statement claims that the Abia State Government receives “over ₦40 billion monthly” from the Federation Account.
This allegation has previously been challenged with publicly stated figures. In October 2025, the Abia State Government said that the state’s total FAAC receipts for the first eight months of 2025—including allocations attributable to the local governments—stood at approximately ₦125 billion. That translates to an average far below the alleged ₦38 billion or ₦40 billion every month.
Those making the ₦40 billion monthly allegation should publish the relevant FAAC schedules, identify the months involved and distinguish among:
- the allocation of the state government;
- allocations constitutionally belonging to the 17 local governments;
- internally generated revenue;
- refunds, grants and one-off receipts; and
- gross figures before statutory deductions.
Combining different revenue streams and presenting them as the governor’s monthly disposable income is not financial analysis. It is political manipulation.
Abia Has Implemented the ₦70,000 Minimum Wage
The claim that the Otti administration has failed to implement the ₦70,000 national minimum wage is contradicted by documented events.
On October 29, 2024, the Abia State Government and organised labour signed an agreement implementing the new minimum wage and consequential adjustments. Under the agreement, Grade Level 1, Step 1 workers were placed on a minimum salary of ₦70,000, with consequential adjustments applying to other levels.
When discrepancies subsequently arose in parts of the salary structure, the government and organised labour continued negotiations. In February 2025, both parties signed another agreement intended to correct the identified anomalies.
It is legitimate for workers to demand further improvements, complete harmonisation and the inclusion of every eligible category of employee. However, it is factually different to say that implementation requires correction and to claim that the minimum wage was never implemented.
A serious opposition party should preserve that distinction.
Smart Schools That Are “Invisible” Have Been Commissioned Publicly
The APC alleges that the impact of Abia’s education expenditure is “largely invisible.” Yet smart-school facilities have been physically constructed and publicly commissioned.
On July 8, 2026, the Federal Government reported the commissioning of the Ogbo Central Smart School at Ubakala—one of the smart schools being developed by the Abia State Government. The commissioning was attended by the Federal Minister of Education, who described the project as representing a new benchmark for public education.
Another smart school at Umuomayiukwu in Isiala Ngwa North was inaugurated in July 2026, as part of a programme intended to establish 20 smart schools across Abia’s 17 local government areas.
A building that has been constructed, inspected and commissioned in the presence of public officials cannot reasonably be described as existing only in government propaganda.
Questions about contract values, procurement, completion rates and value for money are legitimate. The government should continue publishing budget-performance reports, procurement information, project locations and certificates of completion.
But accountability cannot begin with the declaration that visible projects are invisible.
The ₦112 Billion Figure Requires Honest Disaggregation
The APC presents more than ₦112 billion as though it were the cost of constructing a few smart-school buildings. That interpretation requires scrutiny.
Education expenditure is broader than the physical construction of smart schools. It may include:
- the renovation and retrofitting of existing public schools;
- the construction of new classroom blocks;
- teachers’ salaries and allowances;
- instructional materials;
- ICT equipment and digital infrastructure;
- technical and vocational education;
- furniture and laboratory equipment;
- fencing, sanitation and water facilities;
- education-agency expenditure; and
- payments for projects executed across different budget periods.
Anyone relying on budget-performance reports must state the precise budget codes being aggregated. Capital and recurrent expenditure should not be merged indiscriminately. Appropriated sums must not be confused with actual releases, while releases must not automatically be presented as final project costs.
The APC should publish its calculations rather than circulate a politically attractive headline figure without explaining the accounting basis.
Pensioners Deserve Facts, Not Political Exploitation
The welfare of pensioners is too serious to be reduced to campaign material.
The Otti administration inherited substantial salary and pension liabilities. By May 2025, the government reported that approximately ₦30 billion in salary and pension arrears had been cleared.
There remains a legitimate public debate over the treatment of inherited gratuities, the terms of any negotiated settlement, the categories of retirees affected and the balance of outstanding obligations. Pensioners who believe they were treated unjustly have every right to seek administrative or judicial redress.
Nevertheless, the APC should disclose what it did about pension and gratuity arrears during the years when many of those liabilities accumulated. It cannot erase the historical origin of the problem and suddenly present itself as the sole defender of retirees.
Those who created, tolerated or politically benefited from an arrears-ridden system must approach the subject with humility.
The ₦800 Billion Local Government Claim Must Be Proven
The claim that more than ₦800 billion has accrued to Abia’s local governments under the present administration is extremely serious. It must therefore be accompanied by documentary evidence.
The APC should publish:
- the monthly FAAC allocation to each of Abia’s 17 local governments;
- the exact period covered by its calculation;
- statutory deductions and obligations;
- the amount allegedly withheld or misapplied;
- the relevant bank, audit or FAAC records; and
- the legal basis for attributing every listed amount directly to Governor Otti.
Until these are provided, ₦800 billion remains an allegation, not an established fact.
Accountability is not achieved by attaching enormous figures to political accusations. It is achieved through bank records, audited statements, appropriation laws, payment vouchers, procurement documentation and findings by competent institutions.
Opposition Must Apply the Same Standard to the Federal Government
The Abia APC calls for transparency, prudence and accountability. Those are valid principles. But the party must apply them consistently.
If increased FAAC receipts alone are proof of exceptional financial capacity, then the APC must acknowledge that the increase is connected substantially to the removal of petrol subsidy, exchange-rate changes, inflation and the resulting expansion in nominal federation revenue.
The same economic policies have contributed to higher transportation costs, food inflation, business costs and declining purchasing power. A party cannot celebrate increased nominal allocations while ignoring the hardship-producing policies that helped inflate those figures.
Nor can it demand perfect accountability in Abia while treating questions about federal expenditure, national debt, subsidy savings and federal projects as acts of opposition propaganda.
Accountability must not change meaning according to which political party controls the treasury.
Governor Otti Will Be Judged by the Abia Electorate
Governor Alex Otti does not possess an automatic right to a second term. He must account for every naira received, every contract awarded and every promise made.
He will be judged on roads, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, pensions, security, local government administration, job creation, transparency and the geographical distribution of projects.
But the APC will also be judged.
It will be asked:
- What credible alternative programme has it presented?
- Who is its generally accepted governorship candidate?
- What is its record of service to Abia beyond press conferences?
- Why should Abians replace a government they can assess with a party whose promises remain largely theoretical?
- What lessons has the APC learnt from its previous electoral performances in the state?
- How does it intend to distance itself from the failures associated with past political establishments?
The 2027 election will not be a referendum on Governor Otti alone. It will equally be a referendum on the credibility, history, organisation and candidate of the opposition.
Senator Orji Kalu May Simply Be Reading the Political Landscape
Senator Orji Kalu’s assessment may not be what the APC leadership wishes to hear, but political experience sometimes requires leaders to distinguish between party desire and electoral reality.
Recognising an opponent’s strength does not amount to surrender. It can be the beginning of strategic honesty.
Rather than attack Senator Kalu, the APC should ask why one of its most prominent leaders considers Governor Otti strongly positioned for re-election.
It should also reflect on whether internal divisions, competing governorship ambitions, inconsistent messaging and the absence of a broadly accepted alternative are weakening the party’s prospects.
Conclusion
The Abia APC is entitled to contest the 2027 election. It is entitled to criticise Governor Alex Otti and demand accountability. What it is not entitled to do is convert disputed allegations into established facts, combine unrelated financial figures, deny the physical existence of commissioned projects and substitute sweeping electoral predictions for political organisation.
Abians are watching the rebuilding of roads, the reconstruction of schools, reforms in public administration and the continuing efforts to address inherited liabilities. They are also watching the shortcomings, delays and areas in which the government must do better.
Ultimately, Governor Otti’s political future will not be decided by Senator Orji Kalu’s endorsement, the APC publicity secretary’s denunciation or the declarations of political aspirants.
It will be decided by Abians.
And when that time comes, evidence—not arithmetic fiction, media provocation or partisan wishful thinking—will speak.
Signed
A. Prof. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke
Public Analyst
