By Uzokwe Ndubuisi
I have been reading comments, following up on reactions to the video of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu (Enyi Abia) calling on his friend, brother and erstwhile political acquaintance, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti to return to his party, the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
Initially I didn’t want to say anything regarding this matter, but I was pissed off by the fact that the labour party supporters were reeking of hypocrisy, forgetting that their beloved Otti had done same barely few months ago.
I am not a member of the APC or Labour Party, but let’s call a spade a spade!!! Sometimes I wonder how people can “Not Remember” because “Forgetting doesn’t even exist” unless they suffer from selective amnesia.
In retrospect, the present governor of Abia who was guber candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2015 and 2019 elections ran back to APC in 2020. However, when he could not clinch the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2023 general election, Otti withdrew from the APC governorship primaries and declared for LP where fortune smiled on him.
Not too long ago, precisely on October 2023, Gov. Otti was in Imo state to inform Gov. Hope Uzodinma that the time of APC was over that LP will take over Imo government house.
Otti had at a campaign rally organised by the Labour Party (LP) in Owerri, the Imo State capital, asked Uzodinma to start preparing his handover note, saying he would be defeated in the poll.
During one of the campaigns that preceded the 11-11-2023 off-cycle Governorship Election in Imo State, completely derailed from characteristic associated with political campaigns.
Instead of saying what the Governorship Candidate of Labour Party in Imo State, Sen. Athan Achonu, would do for the People of the State if elected, Otti went haywire on the Governor of the State and Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Hope Uzodinma. The climax was when he pompously issued a ‘Quit Notice’ to Governor Uzodinma.
It was a mark of indecency for Otti to have gone to Owerri to make utterances that were, at best, exhibition of desire to pour aspersions at a sitting Governor Hope Uzodinma and, probably hoping, there can be no consequence arising therefrom.
When this happened, labour party supporters were nowhere to be seen, they were quiet and saw it as a normal party politics behaviour.
And he was clapped for as a man working hard for his party nobody labelled him a monster. Nobody paid social media influencer to attack him.
One wonders if was this hot and bitter about the invitation from his friend and brother to rejoin the party they both built together for his own interest and that of the South East. He was not courageous enough to say so publicly at inviting him to APc denigrating, insulting and humiliating to him.
What is difference between the current invitation to Gov. Otti and previous invitation to whom Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu as the spokesperson of the house weekly on his radio program Ben Kalu mandate publicly invited Okezie that APC was going to take over Abia State govt house on flo FM radio Umuahia asking him to join his party APC.
Why did his media team not attack the spokesperson of the house, Ben Kalu do we then conclude that it is a show of immaturity. But just like Gov Otti, he is busy strengthening the party under his care.
Benjamin Kalu never declared that he is running for governorship, not that he is not fit but a mere statement to encourage his APC folks grabbing the Abia State government house is possible which any party leader is expected to do for his party.
Now he is going to campaign in Edo State for his party as a party leader will he not campaign that Edo govt house is for Labour Party?
Let’s watch and see how he will campaign for his party if he will not assure his followers that LP will take over the government house of Edo state and when that happens we will see if the media will drag him the way he has paid many of them to drag the man strengthening his party in Abia State.
The events of the past few days gives credence to the words of Franklin Raj that, “Selective Amnesia” is a good disease!!! If we suppose to have an option to select the things we want to forget!!!
Uzokwe Ndubuisi, a political analyst writes from Anambra
