Renewed Hope Office: Otti Targeting Kalu, Reps Dep Speaker – RHP Insists

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Renewed Hope Partners, RHP on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, slammed Governor Alex Otti over the sealing of its office in Umuahia ,Abia state.

The group questioned the motives and timing of the action of the Abia State Government, in sealing the property.

The Source reports that the Abia state Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Housing, had on Tuesday, November 25, sealed the office of  President Bola Tinubu’s administration-backed RHP on 36 Ojike Street in the State capital , alongside several other buildings both in Umuahia and Aba citing purported non-compliance with a demand notice for the payment of ground rent/tax, and other related obligations as a major reason.

The sealing of the President Tinubu’s powered RHA ,and others , according to the Ministry of Lands officials , followed the refusal of the affected property owners to respond to demand notices served on them in the past few months.

Ministry of Lands: “This property is in contravention of Sections 41 and 100 of the Abia State Tax law (Codification and Consolidation) law No 7 of 2020, and is hereby sealed.

“Any person, including the owner/occupier,  neighbours or passersby who attempt to unseal this building is in contravention of the Abia state tax law No 7 of 2020 . Be warned. Keep off”, the Ministry posted on the RHP Umuahia Abia state office.

However, the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti,  late on Tuesday ,directed the immediate unsealing of the property, citing the intervention of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu, as reason

The Abia state authorities in a  statement from Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the Governor, denied any political motives in the sealing of the RHP office.

According to him, the sealing of the property was a general exercise undertaken by the state Ministry of Lands targeting properties and property owners in default of the observation of their statutory obligations to the Government.

Ukoha noted that the RHA office and others both in Umuahia and Aba were sealed following the failure of the property owners to respond to several earlier demand notices, requesting proof of compliance with payment of ground rent and other related charges.

But in a statement from its spokesperson, Elton Onwu, on Wednesday in Abuja,the RHP claimed that the sealing of the property was carried out without prior notice contrary to the Abia state Government claims

The group expressed serious concern and shock that the Abia State Governor, Dr Otti, could decide to target the RHP office, that serves as a rendezvous for all members and promoters of Renewed Hope Agenda RHA and its philosophy.

Onwu noted that the property in question was abandoned ,and remained dilapidated for over 30 years before the RHP through the House of Representatives Deputy Speaker stepped in to give it a facelift ,and started  using it  as the South East regional Headquarters of the group.

According to him,the core mandate and mission of RHP is to disseminate the achievements and policy direction of the President Tinubu’s administration across the nooks and crannies of the country.

“We moved into the building in June, 2025, after an extensive renovation of the facility. One wonders why the various demand notices were not sent to the owners of the property before the Renewed Hope Partners took over.

” It is telling that Governor Otti would choose to target the office which serves as a meeting point for all the evangelists of Renewed Hope Agenda message of Mr President simply because it is associated with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu  who also represents Bende Federal Constituency of the state.

“We are compelled to say that this is not the best way to go about oppressing the opposition . But we promise to use every platform available to us to ensure the visibility of the work of the President in Abia and the South East” RHP stated .

This is as the body urged all well meaning Abians and Nigerians as a whole to rise up in condemnation of the action of the Abia state Government against the RHP.

However, the group said it would not be cowed ,and discourage in its avowed commitment to propagating the message of Renewed Hope Agenda.