Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu has signalled he will soon reveal whether he will join the race for Abia State's governorship in 2027. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu told party faithful at an APC gathering that pressure on him to declare is mounting and a decision will be made public shortly.
Kalu, who represents Bende federal constituency, has emerged as a prominent voice in the South-East since his 2023 emergence as the number two man in the House of Representatives. His remarks come as APC chieftains in Abia intensify lobbying for a candidate they believe can dislodge the ruling Labour Party in the state.
The Deputy Speaker did not tip his hand on which side he will eventually land, but the mere hint of a possible run has already triggered early jostling among prospective aspirants within the party.
By dangling a "soon" on a 2027 Abia governorship bid, Benjamin Kalu is borrowing a leaf from the presidential playbook: keep the base salivating, the donors uncertain and every rival off balance.
Kalu's hesitation is not personal indecision; it is a calculated response to APC's arithmetic in Abia. The party has never captured the governorship since 1999, and its best shot lies in welding federal might to a South-East face that can speak the language of both Abuja and Arochukwu. Kalu's current perch as Deputy Speaker gives him access to the national treasury and a megaphone in the National Assembly—assets he must monetise into grassroots structures before Labour's Alex Otti entrenches deeper.
For Abia traders who still endure cratered roads in Aba and salary ghosts in the civil service, Kalu's possible entry changes little today. Yet if he jumps in, the resulting scramble for APC tickets will force every contender to promise what the incumbent has not delivered: functional infrastructure, steady teacher pay and an end to multiple taxation that cripple shoemakers and spare-parts dealers alike.
This dance also fits a wider pattern: since 2015, federal lawmakers from the zone have eyed home-state Government House once they secure a second term in Abuja. If Kalu follows through, he will join Dave Umahi, Hope Uzodimma and Orji Uzor Kalu in the club of National Assembly heavyweights who traded green carpets for Lion Building dreams.
