26th May 2025, NewsOrient, Opinion, Column, News, Governance And Development, Politics
By Uche Ezewudo

If the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) hope to secure votes and reasonable support from the South-east zone in the 2027 general election, this is the time they must call the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, to order and separate themselves from his ill-advised current brand of politics.

There is no doubt that Kalu’s power tussle with South-east governors will never be a plus to APC in the region. Instead, the path he has chosen will certainly jeopardise Tinubu’s chances in 2027.

Tinubu and all the people that claim to represent his interest need to make more friends in the South-east than to create enemies or to initiate secret political power rivalries.

It remains to be known why Kalu believes he will proceed further from where he currently finds himself today by daring those he should woo to accept him as a leader?

To navigate his 2027 reelection ambition, what Tinubu needs now are men and women, including young ones, wise and humble enough to win powerful friends for him. He does not need politicians who believe they have arrived and that this is the time to take over political leaderships in their zones.

I am therefore of the opinion that it would be better for President Tinubu to work with experienced grassroots politicians with genuine structures and support or with dynamic young leaders who understand how to win acceptance and support of entrenched forces.

This is opposed to celebration of social media noise from empty opportunists boasting of leadership positions merely derived from recent plum appointments, positions or other happenstances.

Like many others before him, I agree that an ordinary upstart in any area of life can genuinely grow to rapidly emerge a leader, especially when Grace chooses to smile at such an upstart. This is also possible if such an upstart to whom nature has smiled on, genuinely and humbly appreciates his true position within the socio-economic and political structure; is humble enough to admit it and to work with the existing leaders and seniors.

This is the attitude one expects from Kalu, who though Nigeria’s number six citizen today (if there’s anything like that), must know his level of political influence at his zone before his lucky emergence as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

It is believed that if Kalu does this and taking cognizance of the Grace he enjoys today, even the real leaders of the political structures in the South-east and beyond will have no option than to accept him as one of the top emerging leaders of the existing structures and the polity.

It is at this point that he would genuinely emerge as a true asset to APC in 2027, and not by making rather provoking utterances like claims that Tinubu has done so much for the South-east and that Mr. President will therefore get up to 70% of South-east votes in 2027.

If anything, such utterance either sounds like a deliberate deception of President Tinubu and his party or like the worst display of insensitivity towards the hurting sentiments of the good people of the
South-east.

It is unfortunate today that Kalu does not seem to accept the need to be realistic and to consider the genuine feelings of his people in the South-east before taking certain actions or making certain utterances.

Given the high office he currently occupies, it seems his aides and other praise singers around him have sold the wrong propaganda to him that he has already emerged the political leader of the South-east and that he is that one man today who should be relied upon to deliver the South-east to President Tinubu.

This probably explains his current attitude, utterances and relationship with existing political leaders and elders, including elected serving state governors.

Although he has consistently dismissed media reports of possible rifts between him and governors of the South-east states of Abia, Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Ebonyi since the launch of the Peace in South East Project, which was unveiled in Bende in 2024, insiders say his attitude, utterances and actions show otherwise.

This explains why he resolved to rub shoulders with the owners of firm structures instead of making efforts to buy into them.

While one may not say outrightly now how this his chosen political strategy may pan out in the 2027 elections for him, it is important to point out that it does not seem to be the right approach that can help launder the poor image of President Tinubu and that of his party, the APC in the South-east.

So, it baffles any informed political observer why Mr. President and his party, APC, are still condoning Kalu’s infantile choice of confronting rooted leaders, with the belief that it is a viable political strategy?

As the so-called number six official in Nigeria, we agree that Kalu, with near zero personal political structure in the South-east, has enjoyed enormous God’s grace, given his rapid elevation to his current plum position.

But given the way he is going about it today, any concerned observer is bound to say he seems to have grossly overrated his political strength in the South-east today.

Take the case of his home state, Abia State, a Labour Party state under firm control of Governor Alex Otti, does it not sound ridiculous to hear a Kalu labouring hard to give an impression that he currently has what it takes to deliver it to Tinubu and to APC?

The truth is that Governor Otti has done so well with his developmental projects in the once neglected state that he has emerged Nigeria’s most respected and loved state governor, not only in Abia, where he is sure of reelection. As a result of good governance, the masses and their leaders in Abia are solidly behind Otti. Insiders and keen observers alike agree that Dr. Otti, even before he finally emerged the state governor actually gained unrivalled support of the common people of Abia, across the state, including in Bende Federal Constituency, which Kalu currently represents.

Besides his real political influence in Abia State of today, Otti has high reach network of politicians across the country and is known to have the ears of President Tinubu though they are not in the same political party.

Compared to Otti’s genuine influence and support in Abia, even Kalu’s Peace in the South East Project must be seen for what it is, a mere publicity and social media stunt that has had no effect in the zone.

Kalu must be playing politics whenever he assures Tinubu that he will return to him 70% of South-east votes. Is the handsome young lawmaker even sure of his own reelection?

His state, Abia, being a Labour Party state with labour in clear majority, both in the State Assembly and National Assembly, do we need to tell Kalu here again that his reelection to the House of Representatives in 2027 will be a herculean task considering the micro zoning in his Bende Federal Constituency which is against him?

Insiders know that in 2023 elections, Kalu only rode on certain local sentiments to win the legislative seat. Today, if there is any thing he should be doing, it should be to pray that he wins his seat again on the platform f the APC before boasting of giving 70% of South-east votes to the president and to the party.

As an objective observer, who is not dragging any political position with Kalu and his political enemies today, I can tell you that from his attitude and unprovoked confrontational approach to politics against more rooted state governors and other entrenched elder political lord’s in the South-east region, he is doing more damage to Tinubu and APC than he seems to know.

If he hopes to do better in the South-east in 2027 elections, President Tinubu needs to curtail this his so-called number six man and other such representatives of his party in the region.

Besides his ill-advised battles with South-east governors and other leaders, Kalu has committed other blunders that may not help his future political fortunes.

For example, some stakeholders in Abia State politics today describe his appointment of someone that is linked to sundry allegations in the state as his Chief of Staff as evidence of lack of due diligence on his part. This is worsened by his curious decision not to respond to concerned calls on him to explain the extent of his involvement in the ENSCO saga.

He is also believed to be at loggerhead with some South-east governors, especially Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Nwifuru of Ebonyi State for allegedly doctoring the list of nominees of the South-east Development Commission. This is currently seriously challenging his political image in the region.

Kalu as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, may have, without doubt, emerged a leader of considerable significance today, but it seems necessary to tell him that with the right attitude and approach, he still has so much to achieve.

He needs to know that to achieve true leadership position, he may need to make more sober assessment of his strategies, claims and true political value to APC, Tinubu’s reelection ambition and his Bende Federal Constituency in the 2027 elections and beyond.

Ezewudo writes from Arochukwu, Abia State.

~ Published By NewsOrient Network

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