Abia at 34: Otti's Camp Blasts Chikwendu Udensi, Labels His Comment "Ignorance and MischiefÔÇØ | READ WHY

Governor's aide tackles former APGA aspirant, says criticisms on Port Harcourt Road, education funds and "one-man showÔÇØ governance are baseless

Abia's 34th anniversary has taken a dramatic political turn as the camp of Governor Alex Chioma Otti responded fiercely to remarks credited to former APGA governorship aspirant, Chief Chikwendu Udensi, accusing him of peddling half-truths and mischief under the guise of objectivity.

In a strongly worded statement signed by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Udensi was described as a "habitual purveyor of falsehoodÔÇØ who deliberately misrepresented facts about key projects and policies of the Otti administration.

Udensi, in his commentary, had questioned the cost of the Port Harcourt Road reconstruction, raised suspicions about the 54 billion reportedly spent on school renovation, and alleged that Governor Otti was running a "one-man show.

But Ekeoma, in his detailed rebuttal, insisted that Udensi's claims were false, mischievous, and predicated on ignorance.

Port Harcourt Road Facts

According to the governor's aide, Chikwendu Udensi deliberately ignored engineering standards in his criticism of the 36 billion Port Harcourt Road project.

"The road is not 5.7km as he mischievously claimed, but 6.7km dual carriageway. Each lane is 11.1 metres wide, making it a full six-lane road totaling 22.2 metres. By engineering calculations, the project translates to 20.1km of road at about 1.8 billion per km, built to Julius Berger's world-class standard. Udensi could have consulted a competent engineer instead of embarrassing himself in public, Ekeoma stated.

He reminded Udensi that the road, before reconstruction, was not just in disrepair but a "slum of sorrowÔÇØ where refuse heaps rose up to 24 feet and nature reclaimed parts of the thoroughfare.

The "54 Billion Allegation

On education, Ekeoma dismissed Udensi's reference to 54 billion allegedly missing from school renovation funds as another "lazy lie, stressing that no money was missing.

He explained that all expenditures are documented in the state's audited accounts and that the results in the education sector-ranging from renovations to improved facilities-are "visible and heartwarming.ÔÇØ

The "One-Man ShowÔÇØ Accusation

Ekeoma also ridiculed Udensi's claim that Otti runs a "one-man show,ÔÇØ insisting that the Governor has institutionalized collective governance.

He pointed to weekly State Executive Council meetings, the unprecedented Expanded Exco sessions involving commissioners, permanent secretaries, and heads of agencies, and the establishment of decentralization structures such as the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA), Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA), and the reformed Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA).

"How can the same Governor accused of running a one-man show be the one who empowered state engineers, architects, surveyors, and planners to directly drive projects across ministries for the first time in our democratic history?ÔÇØ he asked.

Udensi's Political History

The statement also recalled Udensi's poor political track record, noting that even after Otti left APGA in 2019, Udensi-who had long accused Otti of hijacking the party-still failed woefully.

Ekeoma accused Chikwendu Udensi of behaving "like a stone-age coupistÔÇØ by announcing himself winner of APGA's governorship primaries midway through voting, only to finish a distant fourth.

He said Udensi's current media outbursts are nothing but "attention-seeking theatrics ahead of 2027 elections.ÔÇØ

The Governor's media office urged Chikwendu Udensi to stop trivializing opposition politics with unfounded allegations, stressing that governance is about serious service delivery, not radio talk-show performances.

"Abians are wiser now. Cheap blackmail will not distract the Otti administration from delivering the dividends of democracy,ÔÇØ the statement concluded.