Stakeholders in Bende North Constituency in Abia state have explained why the Deputy Speaker ( DS) of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu of the APC should be re-elected in 2027 and why his Labor Party rival in the election Mr Chima Anyaso should withdraw from the contest, and step down voluntarily for Kalu.

 

They argued that one of the claims that emboldened Anyaso to contest for the Constituency Seat, which is the zoning arrangement only exists in some people’s imagination, and cannot be true.

 

Such imagination, the imaginators allegedly posited, the elective office rotated between the two Blocs in the Constituency namely Ikwuisii and Umunna.

 

Hon Kalu is of Ikwuisii while Anyaso of of Umunna Bloc. Each Bloc reportedly produced federal constituency Representative in rotation.

 

The stakeholders who spoke after their meeting on and thereafter declared support for Hon Kalu’s re-election bid, indicated that similar visit may be made to Anyaso to clarify the purported zoning arrangement.

 

Beside that there was no extant zoning arrangement of the next office claim in favour of Anyaso of the Umunna Bloc, the Stakeholders of therefore ‎ stated “We cannot substitute a prolific striker like Hon Kalu with outstanding goal records, with a neophyte, a less experienced striker,”

 

According to the stakeholders, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu of Ikwuisii Bloc has performed creditably and surpassed the records of performance by his predecessors both in education, infrastructure, health, agriculture, employment and power supply sectors.

 

‎The APC candidate for Bende North State Constituency, in the 2027 election Mr Orji Udeagha, said to be of Umunna Bloc, reportedly, allegedly argued that DS Kalu ought to be re-elected, urged the Constituents not to ” Trade Our Gold For Ashes”

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‎“We have seen and heard, and we cannot trade our gold for ashes,” describing DS Benjamin Kalu as the pride of Bende people.

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Going by some reports, it was gathered that Bende people have always understood themselves, noting that with Umunna and Ikwuishii Blocs taking turns to present candidates for their Council, State and federal elective offices

 

According to the scenario, ” Umunna Bloc held the Bende House of Representatives seat for four tenures totaling 16 years through Hon. Mba Ajah for 4 years, while Hon. Nnenna Ukeje did so for 3 tenures both totalling the 16 years.

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‎The Bende North stakeholders therefore declared as unfortunate, the calls for power to return to Umunna after 16 uninterrupted years, asserting that

‎“Bende-Ikwuishi should be allowed to complete their 16 years to be at par, pointing out that Hon Benjamin Kalu is serving a second term of only 8 years.

 

‎He therefore urged his Umunna Bloc brothers to re-elect DS Kalu in the 2027 poll.

 

Corroborating , the former chairman of Bende LGA Hon. Gabriel Okereke-Elendu, said that Bende has never had a rotational agreement for the Bende Federal Constituency seat, and challenged proponents of the purported zoning arrangement to produce the documents backing it.

 

‎Insisting that there is no subsisting rotational agreement for elective positions in Bende, Hon ‎Okereke-Elendu faulted and debunked the claim of a zoning arrangement which he said was being pushed by some political actors ahead of the 2027 elections.