George OPARA
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has approved the reconstitution of the Management Board of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), appointing Dr. Ezinne Chinyere Benjamin-Kalu, wife of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, as Chairman.
The appointment was contained in a press release issued on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole.
According to the statement, the reconstitution is aimed at “strengthening governance, improving service delivery, and enhancing the quality of medical training and healthcare services provided by the hospital.”
The newly reconstituted board comprises the following members:
- Dr. Ezinne Chinyere Benjamin-Kalu โ Chairman
- Prof. Nneka Chioma Okoronkwo โ Chief Medical Director
- Dr. Kelechi Omende โ Member
- Dr. Temple Nwosu โ Member
- Dr. Patrick Umezurike โ Member
- Prof. P. E. N. Onyemachi โ Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee
- Prof. Gazie Okpara โ Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Senate Representative
- Prof. Chuks Kamanu โ Provost, College of Medical Sciences
- Dr. Mrs. Ifeyinwa Blossom Uma Kalu โ P/S, Health Ministry
- Mrs. Ihuoma Nwagbara โ Director of Administration/Secretary to the Board
- Dr. Odochi Ewurum โ NMA Representative
The statement quoted Governor Otti as congratulating the chairman and members of the board, charging them to “justify the confidence reposed in them by working assiduously to reposition the Teaching Hospital as a centre of excellence in healthcare delivery, medical training, and research.” The appointments, according to the release, take immediate effect.
However, while the official statement presents the appointment as a routine governance measure, top political sources have told Spear News Nigeria that the decision to appoint Mrs. Benjamin-Kalu was deliberately taken to harvest from Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu’s camp, with whom Governor Otti has been locked in a bitter political feud for months.
“The governor knows exactly what he is doing. Appointing the wife of your biggest political rival to a sensitive position like ABSUTH chairmanโespecially when she is publicly known to support you over her own husbandโis a calculated jab”, a source told Spear News Nigeria
Everywhere in Abia knows that Mrs. Kalu is not in the same political family as her husband. She has openly identified with Governor Otti’s camp.
The political rift between Governor Otti and Deputy Speaker Kalu has been well documented. Kalu, who is widely expected to contest the Abia governorship under the APC in 2027, has repeatedly tried, and failed to persuade Otti to defect from the Labour Party to the APC.
In January 2026, Kalu publicly admitted that he had exhausted all efforts, stating: “I am no longer urging or prodding Otti to return to the APC.”
The war of words escalated to the point that the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers intervened in October 2025, calling for a ceasefire. The monarchs appealed to Kalu to “restrain from making public statements that he cannot substantiate.”
Governor Otti, meanwhile, has dismissed his critics from Kalu’s camp as “empty barrels” and “spent forces,” refusing to be drawn into what he calls “distractions from governance.”
Dr. Ezinne Benjamin-Kalu’s political alignment has been a subject of widespread discussion in Abia political circles. Unlike her husband, she is known to be a staunch supporter of Governor Otti. She was spotted at the Governor’s birthday with former vice president Yemi Osibanjo, where she showered praises on Otti’s administration and gave her full endorsement to it.
By appointing her to head the ABSUTH board, political observers say Otti achieves two objectives: placing a loyalist in a strategic health sector position while simultaneously twisting the knife in Kalu’s political back.
The duo have not been on good terms for a while, with Kalu expected to contest the Abia governorship under the APC in 2027 while Otti remains in the Labour Party.
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