(OPINION) Eze Chikamanyo: An Era of Political Opportunism Finally Meets Its End in Abia- Promise Uzoma Okoro

For the first time since 1999, Abia State is witnessing a government that has shut its doors firmly against Barr. Eze Chikamanyo. Governor Alex Chioma Otti’s administration will go down in history as the only government that refused to hand him a political lifeline. And frankly, Abians should heave a sigh of relief.

Let’s face the truth: Eze Chikamanyo’s so-called political career is not built on service, but on opportunism. He has made a career out of attaching himself to successive governments, always finding a way to sneak into relevance. From Senator Orji Uzor Kalu to Senator Theodore Orji, and then Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, he shamelessly recycled himself as Commissioner for Information. Three administrations, the same recycled face, with nothing remarkable to show except division, manipulation, and a toxic brand of politics.

When Ikpeazu, against the wishes of many, announced him as Commissioner for Information at Michael Okpara Auditorium, the public reaction said it all, people walked out in disgust. Yet, the cabals of that time needed him to do their dirty work: to launch media attacks on anyone who dared to challenge their decision to cede the Governorship ticket of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) to Umunneato Political axis of Abia State . That was Chikamanyo’s real talent,not communication, not governance, media warfare as Chikamanyo will call himself a ‘war time Commissioner for Information ‘

Even his academic credentials reek of desperation. Submitting documents to the Abia State House of Assembly in 2020 that showed he only obtained NECO in 2011,long after he had been parading himself in government corridors since 1999 should have raised questions. But because the system was rotten at that time, he sailed through and somehow made it back as Transition Committee Chairman of Umunneochi Local Government Area an Commissioner within few months ,thats is the type of backdoor politics Abia endured for decades.

Governor Otti deserves commendation for drawing the line. During the August 2025 edition of Governor Otti Speaks to Abians, he revealed how Chikamanyo tried to worm his way back into government in 2023, just weeks after Ikpeazu left office. The Governor rejected him. Flat out. No room for recycling, no room for cabals. And that decision has proven wise.

Just before May 29th 2023, Chikamnayo was sulking on the sidelines, keeping suspicious silence while waiting to be called up. But while he waited, the Investigative Panel exposed him that he allegedly bolted away with some government properties from the Ambassador Newspaper. That is the true character many in Abia already knew but refused to speak about.

Today, he is back to his old trick, floating pressure groups, trying to hoodwink unsuspecting outsiders into believing he is a voice of the people. But Abians know better. They have seen through his script. His relevance has expired, this same man will abandon those who wored the same t-shirt and face cap with him if he is called upon, but all thanks to the boldness of the Governor .

Governor Otti has shown that leadership is not about recycling the old, corrupt, and entitled class. It is about breaking the cycle of cabals and putting the people first. By shutting the door against opportunists like Chikamanyo, Otti has not just raised the bar, he has declared that Abia’s future will not be mortgaged to the past.

The people of Abia spoke loudly in 2023, and they will speak louder in 2027. Those who thrived under cabal politics should understand: the game is over.

Promise Uzoma Okoro, anipr, a Public Affairs analyst, wrote from Umuahia.