The Abia State Government has dared Chief Charles Ogbonna to produce evidence to back his claim that Governor Alex Otti, OFR, said that “Ngwa people have no brains,” describing the allegation as false, baseless, and a figment of his imagination.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the government said it was compelled to respond despite ordinarily ignoring Chief Ogbonna’s attacks, because of the gravity of the allegations.
“We wish to state categorically that this allegation is false, baseless, and a figment of Chief Ogbonna’s imagination. At no time, in private or in public, did Governor Otti make such a statement,” the statement read.
The government noted that those who know the Governor well know that he does not speak loosely, unlike Ogbonna, adding that Governor Otti holds Ndi Ngwa, like all Abians, in the highest esteem and has demonstrated this through equitable appointments, projects, and policies across all zones of the state.
The statement pointed out that Chief Ogbonna contradicted himself when he claimed that Governor Otti told him he was from Nvosi in Ngwa and proceeded to pronounce Ngwa people brainless.
“That is to say that Governor Otti himself was without brains too! We challenge Chief Ogbonna to produce the evidence which he claimed he has,” the government said.
The government further challenged Chief Ogbonna to let the world know what went wrong between him and the Governor, saying it was not enough to throw tantrums at the Governor without the courage to disclose what went wrong in their relationship.
According to the statement, Chief Ogbonna’s latest outburst followed the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 elections, noting that having seen that his party is suffering serious visibility and popularity problems, he has resorted to incitement and hate speech.
“It is sad that at a time Governor Otti’s stellar performance has united Abians across clan and political lines, Chief Ogbonna believes the only way to stop his re-election is to stir clannish disaffection and ethnic hate. Sadly for him, Abia people are wiser than him,” the statement added.
The government recalled that Chief Ogbonna was the same person who went on air to condemn the Governor for awarding the contract for the strategic but dilapidated Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road, while other Abians, especially residents and users of the road, were celebrating.
It said Chief Ogbonna was angry because, in his “aged but infantile mind,” such a project would give Governor Otti massive goodwill and advantage over his opponents, hence his wish that it should be abandoned for Abians to continue to suffer.
“This is the witchcraft mindset with which Chief Ogbonna served in government for several years, hence his immediate community and Umuahia in general were denied genuine development. Massive work is ongoing on the said Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road today, to the shock and shame of Chief Ogbonna,” the statement said.
The government declared that Abia has since left the era when men like Chief Ogbonna called the shots and denied Abians good governance, stressing that the era of godfatherism and primitive politics ended on May 29, 2023.
“But if Chief Ogbonna desperately wants to play the role of a godfather anywhere in the Abia of today, he may consider returning to his original profession as a butcher. His colleagues may be willing to allow him play that role at Slaughter in any of the locations he chooses,” it said.
The government said it would not waste its time educating Chief Ogbonna about the transformation that has taken place across Abia State since Governor Otti assumed office, especially in Umuahia where Chief Ogbonna hails from, noting that as visible as the transformations are, a self-centred person like him would not see or acknowledge them because the giant strides run contrary to his governance philosophy.
It condemned in the strongest terms Chief Ogbonna’s divisive utterances and warned him to desist from instigating hatred and division among peace-loving Abians, adding that at his age, he should be building bridges and not sowing seeds of rancour and discord.
Governor Otti, the statement said, remains focused on delivering good governance to all Abians and will not be distracted by desperate politicians.
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