A political analyst and researcher based in Abia State, Ujo Justice, has cautioned Governor Alex Otti to desist from launching media attacks against the immediate-past Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, over his advocacy for the creation of Aba State.

 

Justice issued the warning in a statement on Friday, following a heated exchange triggered by Ikonne’s Thursday criticism of Governor Otti’s opposition to the proposed state.

 

Responding to Ikonne’s remarks, Otti’s media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, in a statement titled “Aba State Creation: Paul Ikonne Needs Help to Salvage His Hate-ravaged Mind”, accused the former NALDA boss of promoting division.

 

In reaction, Justice condemned Otti’s response as a form of media bullying and a diversion from meaningful governance.

 

“Resorting to insults, distorting past events, and questioning academic credentials without proof is nothing but intellectual laziness,” Justice said.

 

He defended Ikonne’s call for Aba State as a valid political expression rooted in the pursuit of equity, development, and fair representation, sentiments echoed by many South-East leaders across party lines.

 

“Rather than engage with the merit of his argument, the governor’s media aide descended into personal insults, calling Ikonne ‘hate-ravaged,’ ‘infantile,’ and ‘clannish.’ Such vile expressions should have no place in public discourse, especially from the office of a sitting governor,” Justice concluded.