There is currently a silent war brewing between Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti and former governor of Anambra State. The cold war has been on for sometime now but only a few people know about it. Only top party leaders of the Labour Party are aware that the two political juggernauts are certainly not on good terms. They barely talk to each other. They do not reach out to each other in solidarity whenever the need for it arises. They have only been very polite and civil when each time the issue of their cold war is mentioned. Since their cold war broke out, they have never insulted each other and neither have they thrown public spats at each other. But the rivalry is there. The hostilities between them are palpable. The inner caucus of both camps know this. Their party leadership know this. But all efforts to bring them together have all hit the wall.
At the moment, more and more people, especially Igbo elites and top politicians from the south- east are growing more concerned about the seeming enmity between two of their illustrious sons. Recently, top Igbo socio-political group which serves as the leading voice of the Igbo has also come out to lend its voice to the call for an immediate reconciliation between the two personalities.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo expressed deep concern over the seeming face-off between the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, and the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti. The apex Igbo group expressed the worry in a statement by its General Secretary, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro.
In the statement issued last week, Isiguzoro said Nigerians, particularly the Igbo community, had keenly observed what appears to be a brewing silent conflict between Obi and Otti.
He said: It has come to our attention that Mr. Peter Obi was noticeably absent during the recent first-year celebration of Dr. Alex Otti’s tenure in office, dated on May 29, 2024. “Alarming to all Nigerians is the fact that Mr. Obi’s name was excluded from the list of distinguished guests expected to grace the occasion at the State International Conference Centre.
Furthermore, Mr. Obi has failed to extend public congratulations to Governor Otti on his inaugural year as the Governor of Abia State, indicating a lack of unity and camaraderie within the ranks of the Labour Party..
Isiguzoro said Ohanaeze Ndigbo had patiently waited to see if Obi would rectify the situation by extending a heartfelt congratulatory message to Otti during the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Nigeria’s Democracy on June 12, 2024, but this did not happen.
Rather, he said it was evident that Obi’s participation in state functions has been minimal, his name omitted from official lists of dignitaries, and his images neglected in Abia State’s event publications for both the May 29 and June 12 events.
He added: “It is apparent that a gap exists between Mr. Obi and Governor Otti, with the latter failing to engage Mr. Obi in the commissioning of any projects within the State under the Labour Party’s governance.”
While it is unclear yet what the real cause of the cold war between Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti is or when it began, City People found out that things certainly started going awry between them last year, shortly after Governor Alex Otii emerged governor of Abia state. It was being reported and circulated at the time that Governor Alex Otti needed to be reminded that he would never have been able to dislodge the PDP in Abia state and put an abrupt end to their 24 year reign in the state. The rumour mills insinuated that Peter Obi was not happy tht Alex Otti had not given him, Obi, and the Labour Party, full credit for his victory, more so considering that he, Alex Otti, was formerly with APGA. It was in reaction to this speculation that, the governor, in what was obviously a direct response, made it clear that with or without Peter Obi, he would probably have won the governorship election anyway.
According to Otti, it’s on record that he won the 2015 governorship election in the state without Obi’s support. Otti said, “In 2015 when I ran under APGA, there was no Peter Obi. And we have it on our record that I won that election. At the time we were joining Labour Party, Peter Obi had not joined.
“It took about a week before he called me and said that he purchased the presidential nomination form and he was coming to Labour Party. “We were prepared to fight the way we fought in 2015. The votes we garnered in Abia could have been had but maybe the margin could have been smaller. That is why it’s always good to acknowledge Peter Obi. He came to Abia about four times to campaign for us.
“I think he had done well for us. That is why even the first election out of the eight House of Representatives seats we took six and sent some people on permanent retirement. “Peter Obi is a great addition to our campaign, but I can tell you that we won an election before in Abia without him.”
This statement, according to insiders, irked Peter Obi and his supporters who felt he demeaned their political icon and refused to give him credit for his contributions to Alex Otti’s eventual victory. They insist that he, Alex Otti, rode on the back of the Peter Obi tsunami that swept several parts of the country last year during the polls and would never have emerged Governor if not for Peter Obi. And from this point, things have gone downhill between the two, though they will be the first to acknowledge publicly that all is well between them.
Political observers have noticed that, while many distinguished personalities congratulated Otti on the inauguration of his many laudable projects, Peter Obi has kept mum. And before these inaugurations, both of them have not been reaching out to each other either privately or publicly. They have deliberately stayed out of each others paths for a long time now. Peter Obi, in his usual character, has not said a word about the situation. He is still keeping everything close to his chest, perhaps waiting for the appropriate time when he will reveal the true cause of the cold war between them. It’s been over a week that the socio-political group, the Ohaneze, came out publicly react to the displeasing situation between their illustrious sons, seeking ways to foster a reconcilliation, but neither of them has reacted yet to the move by the Ohaneze. Neither of them has either denied or admitted the very strong speculation of an existing rift between them.
-WALE LAWAL (08037209290)
