Otti Orders Reopening of Renewed Hope Office, Says Sealing Was Routine Enforcement—not Politics

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has dismissed claims that the sealing of the Renewed Hope Agenda office in Umuahia was politically driven, insisting the action stemmed from routine enforcement of court orders.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Ukoha, the governor explained that the state’s Harmonised Task Force sealed the Ojike Street property as part of a statewide crackdown on buildings that defaulted on statutory obligations. He said the enforcement affected multiple properties and was not targeted at any political group.

Otti revealed that he directed the immediate unsealing of the office after the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, drew his attention to the development. He stressed that the state government had no political motive and cautioned critics against twisting the exercise for partisan gain.

“The unsealing was promptly executed pending the regularisation of the building’s documentation,” the statement noted. The government added that the property owner failed to respond to several demand notices seeking proof of payment for ground rent and other charges.