Onwuneme Accuses Ogbonna of Weaponising Ethnicity Against Otti

•Rejects ethnic mobilisation, says Ndi Ngwa should make their own political choices

Wale Igbintade

A chieftain of the Labour Party and youth advocate, Engr. Nwabueze Onwuneme, has accused Chief Charles Ogbonna of attempting to exploit ethnic sentiments in his criticism of Abia State Governor, Mr Alex Otti.

Onwuneme, in a statement issued on September 17, 2026, described what he called Ogbonna’s latest intervention against the Otti administration as an attempt to stir division in the state, urging him to substantiate his allegations rather than resort to what he characterised as inflammatory rhetoric.

He said Ogbonna was entitled to criticise Otti and pursue his political interests, but should provide evidence to support any serious allegations against the governor and his administration.

According to him, Ogbonna should not drag the people of Ngwa into a political dispute or attempt to use ethnic sentiments as a basis for opposition to the administration.

Onwuneme also questioned what he described as Ogbonna’s present posture as a defender of Ngwa interests, alleging that Ogbonna’s publicly reported political position before the 2023 governorship election included opposition to the return of the governorship to the Ngwa bloc.

He further referred to what he described as the “much-publicised libation episode” surrounding the controversy.

“Ndi Ngwa are not political pawns. They are discerning people who can remember yesterday and judge today for themselves,” Onwuneme said.

He described Ogbonna’s latest intervention as an apparent attempt to regain political relevance by stirring ethnic sentiments, but argued that Ogbonna lacked the political influence and capacity to cause meaningful disaffection in Abia.

“Chief Ogbonna is free to oppose Governor Otti, but if he has evidence, let him produce it; if he has a candidate, let him sell that candidate; and if he has better policies, let him present them,” he said.

Onwuneme maintained that political opposition should be based on issues, policies and competing programmes rather than ethnic identity.

“What he should not do is attempt to weaponise ethnicity or incite Abians against one another,” he said.

The Labour Party chieftain also defended Otti’s decision to respond to his critics, arguing that the governor’s office carried a responsibility to address allegations that he considered false and damaging to the administration.

“If not for the office Governor Alex Otti occupies and the responsibility that comes with addressing false and damaging narratives about the government, I do not believe the Governor would ordinarily engage Chief Ogbonna at all,” he said.

Onwuneme urged Ogbonna to focus on issues affecting the people of Abia, including government policies and their welfare, rather than what he described as divisive rhetoric.

He also warned that Otti’s restraint should not be interpreted as weakness, saying he was prepared to respond to Ogbonna’s claims with facts and records if the political exchange continued.

“Chief Ogbonna should not mistake the Governor’s restraint for weakness. If he chooses to continue swimming in the mud, I am prepared to swim in that mud with him—fact for fact, record for record and statement for statement,” he said.

However, Onwuneme said his preference was for political contestation in Abia to remain issue-based and responsible.

He argued that Abians, including the Ngwa people, were capable of making their own political choices without being directed by individual politicians.

“Abians are wiser than political manipulation, and Ndi Ngwa certainly do not need Chief Ogbonna to tell them who to support or who their friends are,” he said.

Onwuneme’s statement comes amid political exchanges surrounding the Otti administration, with the Labour Party chieftain seeking to frame the dispute as one that should be conducted through evidence, policies and competing political programmes.

He therefore challenged Ogbonna to substantiate his allegations against the governor and present alternative policies or candidates where applicable, while urging him to avoid what he described as statements capable of deepening divisions among Abians.