Abia Government Blocks Tinubu’s Pro-Group Inauguration in Aba Amid Accusations of Political Intolerance
Tensions escalated in Aba on Friday as the Abia State Government, led by Governor Alex Otti, reportedly attempted to halt the inauguration of Renewed Hope Partners, a support group aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and championed in the South East by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
The event, scheduled to hold at Prime Time Event Centre, Osisioma, along the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, was intended to inaugurate the group’s local government structures aimed at deepening grassroots support for President Tinubu across Abia State and the South East region.
However, according to eyewitness accounts, members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) led by Mr. Samuel Ujo, alongside other officials from Osisioma Local Government and the Ministry of Local Government, Umuahia, barricaded the venue in the early hours of Friday, November 8, 2025. They allegedly acted on directives from the state government restricting political gatherings in public spaces. Organizers condemned the move as a deliberate act of political intolerance and selective enforcement of government policy.
The Otti administration had earlier announced a ban on the use of public facilities for political meetings, citing security concerns. But critics argue that the ban has been applied selectively, as pro-Labour Party groups such as Abia Arise and Chioma Abia continue to enjoy unrestricted access to public venues, including the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba, for their events.
One of the organizers narrated how they received a distress call from the management of the event centre, informing them that a team of men claiming to act on “orders from above” had arrived to seal the premises.
“At about 2:25 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2025, we got a call from Prime Time Event Centre, where we had booked for our inauguration. They said three men came in, claiming to be acting on instructions from the state government and threatened to close the premises,” the source said.
The intervention of Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu eventually led to the arrest of the local government officials involved, allowing the event to proceed later in the day under tight security observation.
As expected, today, 8th November 2025, the Obingwa Local Governments inauguration was once again stopped by the local Government Chairman Hon Maxwell Nwadike who stormed the venue of of the inauguration (St Galls Catholic Church Itungwa) with Peter Azubuike and stopped the setting of canopies claiming to had booked same venue for Labour Party programme. It took the intervention of major APC stakeholders before the Police was invited to maintain peace before the events took off.
Observers and opposition voices have criticized the Abia State Government for what they describe as a growing pattern of political intolerance under the Otti-led administration. They cited a similar incident earlier in the year when armed operatives of the Operation Crush unit, accompanied by the Chairman of Obingwa Local Government, Mr. Maxwell Nwadike, stormed the monthly meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Obingwa, disrupting the gathering on alleged “orders from above.”
According to party members, the security operatives claimed they were acting on state directives to halt the PDP meeting, a move many described as a calculated attempt to weaken opposition structures within the state.
“Some of the local government staff arrested claimed that the attempt to shut down the venue was due to alleged tax violations. The task force was clearly sent by the Abia State Government to frustrate our programme. We understand that council chairmen and councillors in Osisioma were instructed to ensure the event never held if they wanted to keep their positions,” another member of the Renewed Hope Partners alleged.
He further accused the Otti administration of extending similar acts of intimidation to traditional rulers who had openly identified with the Renewed Hope Partners movement, suspending their salaries and threatening others from associating with the group.
“This is the same way the Abia State Government suspended traditional rulers such as HRM Eze Nnamdi Ofoegbu of the Umudiawa Ancient Kingdom in Ohuhu, Umuahia North LGA, and others who supported the President through Renewed Hope Partners. Their salaries were stopped, and others were intimidated into silence. Yet, Labour Party and its affiliated groups are free to hold their events unhindered,” he added.
Analysts say these incidents reflect a troubling rise in political intolerance and the use of state apparatus to suppress opposition voices in Abia State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Despite the attempted disruption, the Renewed Hope Partners successfully inaugurated its Osisioma local government chapter, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening support for President Tinubu’s administration and consolidating the Renewed Hope agenda across the South East.
