Former Abia State governors Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji on Friday, January 9, 2026, convened a strategic political meeting in Umuahia aimed at rallying former political office holders to challenge Governor Alex Otti’s anticipated second-term bid in the 2027 governorship election.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), who hosted the gathering, described the meeting as an effort to unite political actors who served the state between 2009 and 2023 under the informal umbrella group called “The Team”.
According to Kalu, the group played a pivotal role in the development of Abia during their respective tenures and should not be sidelined or dismissed as irrelevant.
“Leadership is a relay race. I finished and handed over to Senator T. A. Orji, and he finished and handed over to Okezie Ikpeazu,” Kalu stated.
“So one person cannot come and say we did nothing and that we are not relevant. If we did nothing, where would our people be living now?”He further declared that the central objective of the renewed alliance is clear: “one person must go down in 2027.”
Kalu emphasized that the platform remains bipartisan and open to political actors and allies across party lines, urging members to stay committed and focused.
A major development at the meeting was a motion moved by Chinedum Orji, former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, calling for the expansion of “The Team” to include all political office holders including former and serving National Assembly members who served in Abia between 2009 and 2023.
The motion was unanimously adopted by members present.The renewed political mobilisation comes days after Senator Kalu publicly described Governor Otti as someone who “overrates himself politically,” claiming that Otti relied heavily on the support of key stakeholders to secure victory in the 2023 governorship poll.
Kalu was responding to comments made by Governor Otti on Monday, in which the governor vowed to back the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Abia North in the 2027 senatorial election to unseat Senator Kalu.
The emerging alliance signals the beginning of a high-stakes political battle in Abia State ahead of the 2027 general elections, with former power brokers seeking to reclaim influence and challenge the current administration’s dominance.
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Evil men, the Abia train of development under Otti is unstoppable. Satan punish you men of evil.
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