“Many Reasons Why I Believe Evulaogu”: Fresh Allegations of Ngwa Marginalisation Rock Abia as Otti Is Challenged to Answer

 A fresh opinion piece authored by Eke O. Ako and titled “Many Reasons Why I Believe Evulaogu” has reignited the controversy over alleged remarks by Abia State Governor Alex C. Otti that Ndi Ngwa “do not have sense,” with the writer insisting the governor’s record of appointments and projects confirms the claim.

CDA News Nigeria gathered that the article, accompanied by a widely circulated graphic headlined “Governor Otti, Answer the Questions,” challenges the governor to respond with names, appointment records, completed projects, and evidence of functioning services rather than dismissals.

The writer states he believes Evulaogu’s account because similar remarks have been attributed to Otti before, including an alleged statement that “Ndi Ngwa amaghi ihe,” a taped comment that “no tribe should claim ownership of Aba,” and a 2022 post by his spokesman, Ferdinand Ekeoma, headlined “I Maintain That No Ngwa Man Will Be Governor In 2023,” attributed to Charles Ogbonnaya, which Otti never condemned.

The article accuses the governor of systematic marginalisation of Ngwa people, citing the neglect of Umuehim and Umuru communities, which allegedly remain without electricity, water, or a hospital despite billions spent on schools elsewhere; the shutting out of Umuehim youths for nearly two years; the exclusion of Ngwa people from senior government positions and the leadership of state-owned higher institutions; and the appointment of Old Bende indigenes to head both the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) and Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA), created the same day.

It also questions the replacement of Obinna Oriaku’s nomination to the Federal Character Commission with Victor Ikeji’s, and alleges that Ngwa LGA chairmen are denied control of their FAAC allocations, reportedly receiving only ₦10m–₦13m monthly regardless of council receipts, leaving Okpuala-Ngwa’s headquarters in decay. The writer further accuses the government of humiliating Ngwa landowners by seizing ancestral lands for projects “that may never see the light of day” while compensation remains unpaid.

The piece concludes by challenging Governor Otti to take up Evulaogu’s offer of a court test, saying: “If this is how he treats the land that hosted and supported his development, why should I find Evulaogu’s account difficult to believe?”