Get Guardian on Google…Deputy Speaker Kalu inaugurates campaign council, targets 75 per cent votes for President
The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, urging the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the state to reciprocate the gesture through a mutually beneficial political alliance.
The PDP, represented by its state chairman and Deputy Governorship Candidate, Elder Amah Abraham, made the declaration at the inauguration of the Abia State APC Presidential Campaign Council in Umuahia.
Abraham, who spoke on behalf of the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Kingsley Anosike, said the decision to support Tinubu’s second-term ambition was informed by the broader interests of Abia State and the National Rainbow Coalition initiative being championed by former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He, however, clarified that the PDP’s support for Tinubu at the presidential level did not amount to abandoning its governorship ambition or political identity in Abia.
According to him, the party remains committed to the 2027 governorship election in the state and is open to genuine collaboration, strategic alliances and coalition arrangements with other political stakeholders.
He described the National Rainbow Coalition as an opportunity for politicians across party lines to build partnerships and cooperate on issues of common interest, stressing that the interests of Abia should take precedence over partisan differences.
Abraham urged the APC leadership and stakeholders in the state to reciprocate the PDP’s gesture by supporting a mutually beneficial political arrangement, insisting that any understanding must be anchored on mutual respect, equity, fairness and reciprocity.
He expressed confidence that the initiative would strengthen political cooperation and accommodate the interests of stakeholders across the political divide.
At the event, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and National Deputy Chairman of the campaign council, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, inaugurated the Abia State Presidential Campaign Council, coordinated by the state APC Chairman, Chijioke Chukwu.
Kalu charged members of the council to intensify grassroots mobilisation and take the message of Tinubu’s re-election campaign to every ward, village and community across the state.
He also urged the South-East to abandon what he described as a mentality of political isolation and embrace strategic partnerships with other regions, arguing that broader political alliances would create greater opportunities for the region to participate in national leadership.
According to him, Ndigbo must move beyond political sentiments and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with other parts of the country to advance their political interests.
Kalu lamented that although the South-East had demonstrated considerable strategic capacity in business and economic activities, particularly in rebuilding the region after the Nigerian Civil War, it had yet to apply the same approach consistently to its political engagements.
He maintained that political sentiments would not advance the region’s participation in national leadership or guarantee democratic dividends.
“The South-East must abandon the mentality of political isolation and embrace partnerships across the Niger. These strategic political calculations would give the region greater opportunities to participate in national leadership,” he said.
Describing membership of the campaign council as a privileged call to public service at a defining moment in Nigeria’s history, Kalu urged members to explain, promote and defend the Tinubu administration’s achievements.
He also tasked them with convincing voters why the President deserved another term, insisting that every vote cast in Abia in 2027 must count.
The state APC Chairman and campaign council coordinator, Chijioke Chukwu, pledged that the council would work towards securing Tinubu’s re-election, announcing a target of at least 75 per cent of the votes in Abia for the President.
Chukwu, however, appealed to Tinubu to fill the vacant ministerial position created by the resignation of Nkeiruka Onyejeocha with another indigene of Abia State.
Onyejeocha, who attended the inauguration, resigned her ministerial appointment to pursue the APC ticket for a seat in the House of Representatives.
The APC governorship candidate in Abia, Chief Eric Opah, expressed optimism that the party would record victories across the state in the 2027 elections.
He said the APC had built a strong coalition with members of other political parties who were prepared to support its candidates at the polls.
Also speaking, the party’s leaders for Abia North, Central and South, Dr Madukwe Ukaegbu, Chief Henry Ikoh and Chief Nyerere Anyim, respectively, pledged to mobilise support for massive victories for the party’s candidates.
The state APC Women Leader, Mrs Cecilia Erondu, also featured among the party officials expected to drive the mobilisation efforts.
The speakers highlighted various benefits they attributed to the Tinubu administration and its Renewed Hope Initiative, insisting that the policies and programmes had created opportunities for Abia State and the wider South-East.
Meanwhile, in a move aimed at promoting peaceful political campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections, Abia State Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party has directed that all political parties in the state be granted access to government-owned facilities for their political activities.
