Rev. Fr. Christian Anokwuru, Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Policies and Interventions, has dismissed opposition efforts to unseat the governor in 2027, describing them as “mere shadow-chasing.”
Speaking at a press briefing in Umuahia, Anokwuru reacted to criticisms and media attacks from opposition leaders, including former Governor Orji Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His address was titled: “Abia Opposition: Stop Tinubu Name-Dropping and Face the Fact!”
Anokwuru said it was absurd for past political leaders, who allegedly underdeveloped Abia, to believe they could return to power by leaning on President Bola Tinubu’s influence.
He mocked them for “dropping the president’s name and banking on his achievements, rather than citing the legacies they left behind during their time as governors.”
He added: “It is a long-established principle in both law and public life that anyone who demands equity must come with clean hands. This principle is particularly relevant in the current political climate in Abia State.”
According to him, criticisms of Otti’s administration are lazily anchored on Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“It is expected that an opposition made up of past governors and political office holders should build their argument against a sitting government based on their own achievements in the past, rather than relying on name-dropping of President Tinubu and Renewed Hope,” he said.
Call for Constructive Opposition
Anokwuru acknowledged that opposition is vital in a democracy, but stressed it must be credible and constructive.
“It serves as a check on power, sharpens governance, and protects public interest. However, opposition loses its moral force when it is driven by selfishness and bitterness rather than facts, and by personal resentment rather than policy-based critique,” he said.
He frowned at the posture of Abia’s opposition, describing it as “less like constructive engagement and more like a coalition motivated by animosity and political survival.”
He warned that heavy reliance on Tinubu’s perceived might as the backbone of opposition politics signals “an absence of substance.”
“Federal proximity cannot substitute for local legitimacy, nor can it erase the lived experiences of the people under previous administrations,” he added.
Otti’s Outstanding Performance Recognized
Anokwuru expressed delight that President Tinubu has recognized Governor Otti as “one of the best performing governors in Nigeria, if not the best,” and continues to support him rather than endorse opposition propaganda.
He said Abia deserves “an opposition that is intellectually honest, fact-driven, and rooted in the welfare of the people. Anything short of that is not opposition in the true sense, but a reactionary alliance struggling to remain relevant in the face of changing political realities.”
He concluded that constructive opposition should highlight gaps, propose solutions, and hold leadership accountable in ways that benefit the state.
“When opposition shifts from principled criticism to deliberate misinformation, it ceases to be a democratic asset and becomes a personal vendetta,” Anokwuru said.
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