2027 Abia APC Primaries - Sen OUK and Dep Speaker BEN KALU Make Counter Claims Against President TINUBU

There appears to be confusion among chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in Abia State about who has the presidential blessing to coordinate activities of the party’s primaries for the 2027 general elections. This may not be unconnected with the fact that Abia State is one of the few states in Nigeria without an APC governor, and thus was not represented during a recent meeting where President BOLA AHMED TINUBU was reported to have directed APC state governors to take charge of the party primaries in their respective states. Apparently latching on the vacuum, two ranking APC lawmakers in the National Assembly from Abia State – in the persons of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, BENJAMIN KALU and Abia North Senator, ORJI UZOR KALU – both now claim to have received the blessing of President TINUBU to coordinate the APC primaries in the state.  Both Deputy Speaker BENJAMIN KALU and Senator ORJI UZOR KALU, who are from the same Bende Local Government Area within Abia North Senatorial District, made the conflicting claims in separate statements on their social media handles, which were posted almost simultaneously. Representative KALU claimed President TINUBU had directed that in states without APC Governors, “the highest-ranking political office holders like the Deputy Speaker takes care of the affairs in Abia state”. However, Senator KALU claimed to the contrary, saying he received the "marching order" from President TINUBU “to coordinate activities in Abia State in respect of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) …. ss the most senior Governor in the state.”  Rep BENJAMIN KALU’s message reads thus: “Thank you, the President and Commander in chief of the Armed forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for insisting that Governors should handle the issues of the party in the states with APC Governors, while the highest-ranking political office holders like the Deputy Speaker takes care of the affairs in Abia state. Thanks for reemphasising this on Friday during the engagement. “You have always worked with this model all through the ward, Local Government and State congresses and it has brought us great success. It has united the party more than ever before and we are ready to win elections in Abia state for you and for everyone who has an interest to contest under our party. “Thanks to the National working committee for the great job you are doing, we will continue to work with every stake holder until victory is assured. “Abia APC has never been this united and forward looking thanks to your support. We will deliver Abia votes overwhelmingly.  Compare to Senator ORJI UZOR KALU’s message, which reads thus: “I sincerely thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the confidence reposed in me and the marching order to coordinate activities in Abia State in respect of our great party, the All-Progressives Congress (APC). “As the most senior Governor in the state, I am committed to working closely with all stakeholders, in line with the President’s directive, to ensure that the APC in Abia produces candidates who are widely acceptable, united in purpose, and well-positioned to secure victory in the state for the President’s re-election, while advancing the best interests of Abia State and Nigeria at large.”