Abia LP Reps Caucus Accuses Deputy Speaker Kalu of Stoking Political Tension

The Labour Party (LP) caucus in the House of Representatives has accused the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, of making divisive and inciteful remarks aimed at destabilising Abia State.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the caucus expressed concern over what it described as “unguarded and unhealthy utterances” by the lawmaker, who represents Bende Federal Constituency.

The lawmakers recalled that shortly after his emergence as Deputy Speaker in 2023, Kalu had declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would “capture Abia” in 2027, boasting of his “number six” position in the federal hierarchy. They said the comment was “unintelligent, insensitive, and unbecoming of a public officer.”

“Since then, Hon. Kalu has carried on with arrogance and recklessness, making provocative, sycophantic, and inflammatory statements,” the caucus alleged. “His conduct reveals a deliberate strategy to incite the Federal Government and the ruling party at the centre against the Abia State Government, while peddling falsehoods to discredit the administration of Governor Alex Otti.”

The LP caucus said that contrary to Kalu’s posture, Governor Otti had consistently demonstrated political maturity and maintained a cordial relationship with President Bola Tinubu. It noted that the governor had also extended goodwill to Kalu by hosting a state reception in his honour after his election as Deputy Speaker, and had directed LP federal lawmakers to support his emergence in the House leadership.

“Rather than reciprocate this goodwill, Hon. Kalu has chosen to stoke the embers of disharmony in Abia,” the statement said.

The lawmakers further highlighted a number of federal projects currently ongoing in the state, including the Port Harcourt Road, Ohafia-Arochukwu Road, Omenuko Bridge, and the planned 25 km Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road, which they said were being facilitated by Governor Otti.

They urged Kalu to use his office to support such projects rather than “play cheap politics.”

“If the massive public endorsement of Governor Otti’s achievements, as witnessed recently in Aba and applauded by President Tinubu’s representative, unsettles Hon. Kalu, that is no justification to pursue mischief and incitement,” the caucus stated.

The lawmakers called on Abians to disregard what they described as Kalu’s “empty boasts” and remain united behind Governor Otti’s administration.

“The people of Abia are politically discerning. They can see through Hon. Kalu’s selfish antics and understand that his fight is not against one man but against the collective interest of good governance, peace, and progress in Abia State,” the statement concluded.