Nnamdi Kanu: Exposing Otti’s Lies, Deception And Benjamin Kalu’s Quiet Diplomacy~By Uche Aguoru
I have watched Governor Alex Otti, through his aides, appointees, and online praise singers, struggle very hard though in futility to push the blame for the ordeal of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu onto the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu. The motive is obvious. Benjamin Kalu, is an APC leader with national relevance, he commands enormous respect among Abians and Ndi Igbo. His rising political stature clearly unsettles Governor Otti, who now sees weaponizing Kanu’s imprisonment as the easiest way to smear him.
It is embarrassing how Otti and his hallelujah singers reduce every serious matter to content creation, propaganda spins, and cheap media stunts. Truth means nothing to them once there is a camera to impress all they are interested is the momentous praise and media applause.
Governor Otti once declared during a media chat:
“As his governor I am at the forefront of ensuring that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu comes back home, the level at which we are engaging is not for public consumption, since it may hurt or derail the process, and all the governors of the southeast are in tandem.”
The second time was during the commissioning of Port Harcourt Road, while responding to a question raised by Senator Abaribe, he said, ” I am “engaging” with President Tinubu, and that Kanu would be released very soon”
These were Governor Otti’s exact words, and like his campaign promises that he never kept any, those who knew him knows that those words were nothing but hollow rhetoric. To Dr. Otti, governance begins and ends with media applause. He speaks to trend in the media, not to act. He has never mentioned the name Nnamdi Kanu to President Tinubu during the limited time he has had the opportunity of seeing Tinubu, If he, at any point discussed Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom with the President, let him show evidence.
Ironically, the man in charge of prosecuting Nnamdi Kanu is Otti’s personal lawyer, close friend and long time ally, the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN. credible intelligence has long suggested that some governors are alleged to be behind Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continued incarceration and eventual imprisonment. Any intelligent mind can connect the dots.
Just yesterday not considering the mood of the moment across the southeast, Governor Alex Otti went on his usual forum shopping, paid all the actors and skit makers and engaged them in an endorsement campaign in Aba of all places, the commercial heartbeat of the Igbos, an highly insensitive event meant to undermine and downplay the mood and feelings of Ndi Igbo at a time such as this, a clear interpretation of the Igbo adage, “eburu ozu onye ozo, odika ebu ukwu nku” that goes to expose how indifferent Governor Otti has been to the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu issue.
The genuine efforts, substantive, quiet, strategic has been done by Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
Most of the messages you see them share on the social media were from information gotten from the deputy speaker who prefers working in his calm quiet model devoid of cameras and noise and not in pursuit of applause.
It is clearly evident that what Governor Otti wanted was media applause and once gotten he went back to his personal programs and continued with his fake promises, the man who is still on the matter as we speak and as confirmed by even Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers is still the same Deputy speaker.
Please pardon me to inform those who do not know that it was Peace in the south East Project (PISEP), Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu’s project that fought for and achieved the end of all military operations in the south east having received complaints from Igbo’s that the military is capitalizing on those operations to kill members of IPOB and it’s place offered non kinetic approach as a better solution which the military adopted and started preaching through the lips of the late Chief of Army Staff who went around then to all the battalions and military formations asking for non kinetic approach in place of kinetic which has never worked and the result is more lives were saved through this and the south east stopped looking like a militarised zone, all thanks to Benjamin Kalu’s non kinetic advocacy .
It is on record that Benjamin Kalu has stood on the floor of the House severally and appealed directly to President Tinubu for Kanu’s release.
The videos are public. Ask any honest House of Reps member; they will confirm his relentless, selfless behind-the-scenes engagement. He does not dramatize his efforts. He does not weaponize Kanu’s name for political branding. He does the work not for media validation like governor Otti, but with genuine intentions.
His commitment to securing Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom is real, strategic, and bankable not the empty promises only meant for the camera Governor Otti routinely dishes out when prompted.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu is a dependable leader focused, purposeful, and not obsessed with propaganda. He is a leader Abians and Ndi Igbo can trust in times like this.
And believe me he will not disappoint.
Aguoru
Is a Public Affairs Analyst
