THE Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will unseat the Labour Party (LP) government in Abia State during the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at a meeting yesterday with members of his political support groups — including the Renewed Hope Initiative, Renewed Hope Partners, and the Ben Kalu Movement — Kalu said the APC is mobilising to return Abia to what he described as “progressive leadership” in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“We have come to take over, and there is no going back. We want to work with the President to move our state forward,” he said. “The miracle worker is the President who stopped oil subsidy and released the funds to the states instead of keeping them for himself.”
Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency, also criticised Governor Alex Otti’s administration, arguing that Abia has not witnessed commensurate development despite receiving increased federal allocations under President Tinubu.
“You cannot be getting the kind of money you are getting and doing what former governors did with much less. Former governors got between ₦4 billion and ₦5 billion, but now Tinubu has released ₦38 billion to ₦40 billion, and we still see little progress,” he stated.
He added that the APC’s mission to reclaim Abia would be achieved peacefully through the ballot box.
“We are not taking over by force; we will take over with the votes of the people,” Kalu said.
The Deputy Speaker also revealed that President Tinubu has assured plans to build a seaport in Abia State, urging residents to obtain their voter and party cards ahead of the elections.
The meeting, attended by over 27 pro-Kalu groups, also saw key party figures such as Rev. Trump Eke, Director-General of the Ben Kalu Foundation, and stakeholders Charles Ogbonna, Emeka Stanley, Don Ubani, and Chikezie Mba express confidence in Kalu’s leadership and political prospects.
The Labour Party gained strong momentum in Abia following Peter Obi’s presidential campaign in 2022, with Alex Otti winning the governorship election in March 2023 after running unopposed in the party’s primaries.