Opinion: Abia at 34 – Chikwe Udensi’s Comment is Predicated On Ignorance and Mischief

Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to a Former APGA Governorship Aspirant in the state, Chief Chikwendu Udensi concerning governance in the state.

After his pretentious display of objectivity in a few lines, he resorted to his real but usual mission of throwing tantrums laced with falsehood and misrepresentation.

In his usual mischief, Chief Udensi raised baseless objection on the cost of the Port Harcourt road project. He also joined the mischief of his PDP allies about the so-called 54 billion naira spent on school renovation, and concluded with an infantile allegation of Governor Otti running a “One Man Show”.

To effectively educate Chief Udensi on Port Harcourt road, we would like to present the facts as they are:

1. Port Harcourt Road built by Governor Otti is not 5.7 kilometres, rather 6.7 kilometres dual carriage way.
2. In road construction, the width of a standard one lane road is between 3.5 to 3.7 metres, so the two lanes should be about 7.4 meters using 3.7. A road is measured by the length and the width, which determine the overall cost.

Each of the two sides of the Port Harcourt Road project built by Julius Berger under Governor Alex Otti is about 11.1 metres, making the entire width of the road to stand at 22.2 metres, which is six lanes. Multiplying the 6.7 kilometres by three lanes, the road will stand at 20.1 kilometres. And if the 36 billion cost is divided by 20, it will stand at about 1.8 billion naira per kilometre. One would have expected Chief Udensi to forget his usual boring Interpol fairytale for once and engage an informed engineer to educate him on this before coming to the public to embarrass himself, since the aforementioned facts are available and verifiable.

3. If Chief Udensi was half as aware and informed as Dr. Alex Otti was on issues of the state even before becoming the Governor of Abia State, he would have known that Port Harcourt Road was not just a road in a state of disrepair for decades, but a slum of sorrow, a destroyed destiny and a monumental tragedy.
   The heaps of refuse on Port Harcourt road measured up to 24 feet, while trees and grasses grew on different parts of the road.
   The drainage constructed by Julius Berger is not found on many standard roads in the country. How many other construction companies could have delivered the quality of job done by Julius Berger and in record time?
   Sadly, unlike Dr. Otti that was on ground in Abia and in touch with Abians over the years as an Opposition Leader, Chief Udensi was always heading to one radio station or another straight from the airport to go and entertain himself after which he would fly back to Abuja, so he knows very little about Abia State, its people and their challenges.
4. If Chief Udensi wasn’t informed enough to know that the finality of every budget expenditure is captured in the audited account of a state, then he could have deployed his “skills, contacts and searchlight” as an Interpol System something to uncover the so-called missing 54 billion and present the necessary facts and evidence to shame the present government.
   It’s important to remind him that the man at the helm of affairs is neither unreasonable nor reckless, and thus could not have directly or indirectly frittered away such an amount of money. Suffice it to say that, no money is missing as alleged, and of course, the accomplishments of the present government in the education sector are visible and heartwarming, and could only have been achieved through efficiency and accountability.
5. Chief Udensi was also quoted as criticising Otti’s “one-man show” style of governance, where the governor appears to be the sole voice in decision-making, while commissioners and department heads remain silent”.

Chief Udensi obviously thinks that governance is a joke hence his assumption that Governor Otti is running a “one-man show”after assembling a team of accomplished men and women with proven record of excellence in different fields, just because these appointees have in line with the mandate of the Governor decided to face their jobs and focus on delivering results.

Chief Udensi needs to be informed that no Governor running a one-man show would waste his time regularly holding weekly Executive Council Meeting that involves the Governor, his deputy, SSG, Chief of Staff, Head of Service, Commissioners and other key appointees.

6. Udensi needs to be further educated that Governor Otti is arguably the only Governor in Nigeria that holds what is called Expanded State Executive Council Meeting which sees him meet with all government appointees, including Permanent Secretaries on a monthly basis.

The man accused of running a one-man show by Udensi is the one that created the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) the Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA) and reorganised and rejigged the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA), all geared towards decentralisation of power for effective governance and development.

For the first time since the return of democracy in Nigeria, Engineers of the State Ministry of Works, Architects, Surveyors and Town Planners in the Ministry of Lands and Housing, Engineers in the Ministry of Power and Public Utilities etc, are being effectively and productively engaged and involved in all projects being executed by the state government.

7. Udensi should stop constituting himself into a distraction and an embarrassment. At least, Governor Otti whom he repeatedly vilified and accused of hijacking APGA from him left the party after the 2019 general election so that he, Udensi could own the party, secure the Governorship ticket and become a governor with the support of his PDP customers who were always supporting him when Otti was in APGA. Unfortunately, he didn’t just come a distant fourth in the last APGA primaries, but he behaved like a stone-age coupist as he ran away from the venue of the Governorship primaries and announced himself the winner even when voting had just gone midway.

Finally, Chief Udensi should desist from making opposition look like a joke. Appearing on radio stations to indulge in intentional mischief with a view to remaining relevant ahead of 2027 election, will not in any way advance whatever political ambition he may have.

Ferdinand Ekeoma
Special Adviser to the Governor
( Media and Publicity)
September 2, 2025.