ADC governorship candidate Kalu Kalu has challenged Governor Alex Otti over development projects in Ohafia.
By Avid Reporters
Kalu Kalu’s challenge to Alex Otti has added a fresh dimension to the 2027 Abia governorship race, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate daring Governor Alex Otti to identify a single project his administration has executed in Ohafia Local Government Area.
Kalu, who hails from Ohafia, made the challenge during an appearance on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Friday, October 2, 2026, declaring that he would abandon his governorship ambition if a project undertaken by Otti’s administration could be identified in the local government.
The ADC candidate also alleged that Ohafia Local Government Area had received more than ₦16 billion in allocations over the past three and a half years, but claimed that the funds had not translated into visible projects by the state government in the area.
‘Show One Project And I’ll Drop My Ambition’
Kalu was emphatic in challenging Otti and his administration to produce evidence of a project executed specifically for the people of Ohafia.
“I am from Ohafia LG of Abia State, and I’m placing it on record here that my local government has received over N16 billion for the past three and a half years,” he said during the interview.
He challenged Arise TV to visit Ohafia and ask the governor and his officials to identify any project undertaken by the state government.
“Let Alex Otti and his handlers show your station any project that his government has done for the people of Ohafia Local Government. Not one,” Kalu said.
He subsequently tied his own political ambition to the challenge.
“If your station will go to Ohafia Local Government and show one single project Alex Otti has done for the people of Ohafia Local Government, I will drop my gubernatorial ambition,” he declared.
The comments have added to the increasingly heated political conversation in Abia ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
But Abia Government Records Show A Major Road Project
While Kalu made the claim during the interview, official records from the Abia State Government show that the Otti administration commissioned a major road project in the Ohafia area in May 2026.
According to the state government’s official publication, Governor Otti on May 28, 2026, commissioned the 22.5-kilometre reconstructed Abiriba–Ohafia Highway, subsequently naming it the Chief Otisi Kalu (Abbot) Road.
The government described the road as the third section of the broader Umuahia–Abiriba–Ohafia road project.
This creates an important distinction in reporting Kalu’s allegation.
The ADC candidate said he was challenging Otti to show one project in Ohafia, while the state government’s own records identify the Abiriba–Ohafia Highway as a project commissioned by the governor’s administration.
The competing claims could therefore require further clarification regarding what Kalu means by a project “for the people of Ohafia Local Government”, and whether he is referring only to projects wholly located within the administrative boundaries of the LGA, projects initiated and funded solely by the state government, or a narrower category of completed projects.
Kalu Also Questions Ohafia’s Electricity Situation
Beyond infrastructure, Kalu raised concerns about electricity supply in the area.
The ADC candidate alleged that Ohafia had been without electricity for close to a decade.
“Close to 10 years running, my local government or Ohafia Local Government has not seen any electricity anywhere,” he said.
The electricity claim was presented by Kalu as part of his broader argument that residents of the area have not received adequate infrastructure and public services.
The claim would require independent verification of the electricity situation across the entire local government area before it can be treated as an established fact.
Kalu’s Allocation Claim
A major part of the ADC candidate’s argument centred on government allocations.
Kalu claimed that Ohafia Local Government had received more than ₦16 billion over three and a half years.
He used the figure to question what he described as the absence of corresponding development in the area.
However, the figure was presented during the political interview as Kalu’s claim and was not independently established in the reports reviewed for this story.
The distinction is important because local government allocations, state government expenditure and projects executed by local, state or federal authorities can involve different funding streams and responsibilities.
Kalu Outlines His Vision For Abia Youths
The ADC candidate also used the interview to outline his proposed approach to youth development if elected governor.
According to Kalu, his administration would focus on restoring confidence among young people and creating economic opportunities that would discourage them from leaving Abia in search of better prospects.
He argued that prolonged economic hardship had weakened young Nigerians’ confidence in the country’s future.
“Our young people do not have hope again in this country. They all believe that the greener pasture is outside the shores of this country,” he said.
Kalu said he believed this trend could be reversed by creating opportunities within Abia.
He said that by May 29, 2027, he intended to change the mindset of young people in the state so they would not feel compelled to leave Abia in search of opportunities elsewhere.
Kalu Promises Youth Grants
The ADC candidate also spoke about direct support for young people with skills and talents.
In his interview, Kalu said a government led by him would provide annual grants to talented young Abians to enable them to develop their skills within the state.
He compared the proposed initiative to programmes associated with businessman Tony Elumelu.
Kalu said the objective would be to identify talented young people, support their development and create an environment where they could build sustainable livelihoods without having to leave the state.
The 2027 Abia Contest Takes Shape
Kalu’s challenge comes as political activity around the 2027 Abia governorship election intensifies.
Governor Alex Otti, the incumbent, is expected to face political competition as parties and candidates begin to articulate their records, criticisms and alternative policy proposals.
For Kalu, the condition he has placed on his governorship ambition is unusually direct: identify a qualifying Otti administration project in Ohafia and he says he will quit the race.
For the Otti administration, however, the official record of the Abiriba–Ohafia Highway commissioning provides a documented basis for challenging the broader assertion that no project has been undertaken in the area.
The central issue, therefore, may not simply be whether an Otti administration project exists in Ohafia, but which projects qualify under the terms of Kalu’s challenge and how the competing claims over government spending and development in the LGA are substantiated.
As the 2027 contest approaches, such claims are likely to face increasing scrutiny from political opponents, government officials, journalists and voters across Abia.
For now, Kalu has put his political ambition on the line over a challenge he says can be settled by identifying just one qualifying project.
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