Abia State government has accused opposition politicians of planning a violent protest under the slogan 'Tinubu Dey Work, Otti Dey Chop'. The claim was made by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity, on Friday. Ekeoma stated that intelligence reports indicate opposition actors are sponsoring miscreants from Aba and neighboring states to incite a bloody confrontation with security forces. He warned that the state government has the capacity to ensure those behind the plot "pay a heavy price beyond their imagination". The alleged scheme, according to Ekeoma, aims to create chaos and render the state ungovernable ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) swiftly denied involvement. Publicity Secretary Uche Aguoru said the party is not aware of any such protest and described APC as a responsible, law-abiding party. Aguoru suggested the government's warning could be a staged narrative to shift attention from governance issues and discredit the opposition.
Ferdinand Ekeoma's dramatic warning lacks evidence, yet it frames dissent as sabotage. If the state equates protest with violence before it occurs, genuine public grievances risk being silenced under the guise of security. The APC's counterclaim that this is a manufactured crisis points to a deeper issue: the shrinking space for political opposition in Abia. Without proof, such accusations set a dangerous precedent for how dissent is treated ahead of 2027.
