VINDICATED BY TIME: WHY DEPUTY SPEAKER BENJAMIN KALU WAS RIGHT ABOUT GOVERNOR OTTI AND THE APC, in Politics Foresight is often Mocked until Reality Catches Up.

ONN Germany 07.05.2025

Title: Vindicated by Time: Why DS Benjamin Kalu Was Right About Governor Otti and the APC

In politics, foresight is often mocked, until reality catches up.

Not long ago, when the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, urged Governor Alex Otti to consider joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), his words were met with ridicule, harsh criticism, and political insults. Members of the Labour Party (LP) and segments of the public cried foul, accusing DS Kalu of attempting to lure a “performing” governor into partisan gamesmanship. But as of today, that prophetic advice stands vindicated, and the tables have turned.

The Labour Party has just slammed an indefinite suspension on its most high-profile elected official in Nigeria, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State. Let that sink in. A sitting governor, suspended by the very platform that carried him to office, not for misgovernance, but due to internal party wrangling, power tussles, and an evident lack of internal cohesion.

This development is not just a party issue, it is a national embarrassment. It is a warning signal of the instability and immaturity that plague our political landscape when populist movements refuse to institutionalize discipline, structure, and ideology. Governor Otti now finds himself politically orphaned, walking a tightrope between administrative responsibility and party isolation.

Had he listened to DS Benjamin Kalu, who called not for a defection, but for unity and strategic partnership, Governor Otti would be in a stronger position today. As a member of the APC, Nigeria’s ruling party, he would have benefited from:

• National alignment with federal policies and programs

• Access to greater influence in decision-making at the federal level

• Protection from petty internal squabbles in an unstable opposition party

• A stronger political alliance in the South East with leaders like DS Kalu working for regional inclusion.

Instead, the Governor now faces an uphill battle. Suspended by his own party, distrusted by the party that rejected him, and exposed to political isolation, Otti must navigate governance in a state that urgently needs collaboration, not conflict.

This crisis is not about Otti alone, it’s about the future of Abia and the South East. When DS Benjamin Kalu extended that olive branch, he was thinking beyond party lines. He saw the bigger picture: regional stability, infrastructural development, and a united front for Ndigbo at the federal level.

Today, we must ask ourselves: how many more political missteps will it take before we embrace cooperation over competition, strategy over sentiment?

The lesson is clear. In politics, as in life, wisdom is not always popular, but it is always proven right by time.

DS Benjamin Kalu has been vindicated. The ball is now in Otti’s court. Will he continue down the lonely road of party chaos, or will he rise above emotion and choose stability, unity, and progress?

History is watching.

Your Ever Well Wisher

Mazi Onyeani Kalu

The Grandmaster

Political Scientist.

Pro-Life Advocate &

Promoter of good governance