Chief Agwu Emeaba, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia, has warned that the endorsement of Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu for the party's 2027 governorship ticket could trigger internal collapse. The endorsement was made by APC stakeholders from all three senatorial districts during a meeting in Umuahia. Emeaba described the move as "divisive" and said it risks deepening existing divisions within the party. He claimed the process sidelined two other aspirants: businessman Chief Mascot Kalu and industrialist Chief Henry Ikoh, a former Minister of State for Trade and Industry.
Emeaba argued that Ben Kalu has been holding party meetings and consultations without involving Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu or the other governorship hopefuls. He stated that those left out once mentored Ben Kalu and helped lay the political foundation he now uses. "That kind of political amnesia, if left unchecked, does not build a party. It weakens it," Emeaba said. He urged the APC State Working Committee to intervene to prevent further crisis.
He recommended either Mascot Kalu or Henry Ikoh as stronger unifying candidates. Meanwhile, Mascot Kalu has rejected the endorsement, calling any consensus reached without all aspirants "illegitimate, unacceptable, and null and void, ab initio." In a statement, he warned that such imposition would face "stiff and unequivocal resistance."
Ben Kalu is being positioned as a frontrunner despite claims he excluded his mentors from consultations, creating a contradiction between his leadership image and allegations of political ingratitude. If party unity is fracturing over process fairness, Abia APC members who backed the endorsement may find their candidate unable to unify the base ahead of 2027. The resistance from Mascot Kalu and Agwu Emeaba suggests the push for Ben Kalu could alienate key party figures rather than consolidate support. This internal rift, left unaddressed, risks turning the APC's gubernatorial bid into a contest within the party before it even faces voters.
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