Can Benjamin Kalu Be Trusted? Part I

There once lived a farmer who found a venomous viper while walking home after a busy day at his farm. The snake was freezing to death in the cold evening harmattan breeze. The pitiful snake pleaded with the farmer, begging to be let into his warm coat, where it could rest until it had regained its strength.

The farmer thought himself a kind man, so he picked up the innocent looking viper, and wrapped it within his coat to make it warm. The viper, revived by the warmth, bites his rescuer, who dies realizing that it is his own fault.

Suffice I to say that one should never expect a reward or any act of good from the wicked, no matter what you do for them. The farmer knew that there was enmity and natural antipathy between his kind and the snake’s, but he was moved by empathy. He failed to realise that a serpent in the bosom, a mouse in a bag and fire in a barn gave their hosts an ill reward.

This diegesis is an analogy of the man – Benjamin Okezie Kalu, chief manipulator number one deceiver and betrayer of trust.

Recently, Kalu, publicly declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over the governance of Abia state in 2027. This pronouncement is laughable and anyone who knows Kalu would never take a man who betrayed his political godfather, seriously.

Isn’t this the same Kalu who was accused by Ikechi Emenike of sowing seeds of discord among APC party members and using propaganda and blackmails to disunite the party for his own selfish interest, during the 2023 elections?

Who would take Kalu who in times past was busy hobnobbing with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seriously?

Kalu has always been known to solely be about his ambition. No wonder he accepted the offer to be Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives which is the 6th position in the hierarchy of office and position of power in the nation, against the collective decision of Ndigbo.

Alex Otti gave him warmth only to turn around and oppose the people’s governor. You claim to be friends, what kind of friend are you?

His track record and actions suggest that his trustworthiness is questionable. His sudden confidence in the APC taking over Abia state in 2027 is nothing but a desperate attempt to cling to power. His statements come across as more of a rallying cry for his party than a genuine concern for the people of Abia state.

Kalu’s commendment of Otti’s performance as governor while simultaneously stating that Abia should be governed by the APC reeks of political opportunism. Is he genuinely interested in the welfare of Abia state or just trying to score cheap political points?

If he really cares about the people, then his assertion that the APC will determine who becomes the next governor of Abia state without considering the will of the people is deeply troubling. Does he believe in democracy or is he trying to impose his party’s will on the people?

Can he be trusted to prioritize the interests of the people over his party’s ambitions? Only time will tell, but for now, his trustworthiness remains in question.

Asides recruiting the same crop of kleptocrats who allegedly looted Abia’s treasury, into APC, what other achievements does he have?

Kalu’s arrogance and sense of self-importance led him to fall apart from his former boss and mentor, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, demonstrating a disregard for loyalty and friendship.

Abians now knows who the real Benjamin Kalu is, a man whose thirst for power and self-interest has led him to a journey of self fufilment.

Abians must demand integrity, honesty, and transparency from those in power and reject those who would seek to exploit and deceive us. Only then can we build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come.