The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, has assured the ruling All Progressives Congress Party of 25% of the votes in the 2027 general elections.
Addressing party faithfuls in Abia state, Kalu assured the National Working Chairman of the APC of delivering votes, reminding him that despite Abia state not having an APC governor, the state has a capable Deputy Speaker in his person.
“The National Working Committee panicked about whether the President would have sufficient soldiers of the party to deliver the 25% or more during the election” Kalu said.
” I assure Mr Chairman that we will use this to prove a point. I know we don’t have a Governor, but we have a deputy speaker,” He added.
Kalu reiterated that his efforts to grow the APC’s base in Abia state have borne fruit, with the party now having over 150,000 members in the state. He swore to lead the party structure from the front, cancelling his holidays to focus on growing the party’s base.
APC’S Quest for 25% Spread Across All States
Abia State is one of the few states in Nigeria still outside the ruling APC’s grasp. The party has already won over 30 of the 36 states in the federation as it works to secure the required 25% of votes nationwide.
Abia state remains a Labour Party state under the hold of Dr Alex Otti, a trained banker who rode into power riding on the Peter Obi political wave in the party. Despite his political ally, Peter Obi, joining the African Democratic Congress. Alex Otti has remained in the party, rebuilding it and recently scored a political victory when an Abuja High Court dismissed Julius Abure from the party’s leadership.
Political analysts believe Otti could switch to the APC following frequent visits to Abuja and a recent courtesy visit by the former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
This remains speculation, as the Abia state governor is still a Labour Party member and enjoys organic support in his state following his stellar performance in road infrastructure and other spheres of governance.
Otti faces stiff opposition for a reelection in the state from the ruling APC party and an alignment of past governors of the state. The APC structure in the state, led by Hon Benjamin Kalu, remains a threat, complemented by the network of past governors of the state.
However, Otti remains a favourite, given his strong grassroots support and growing status in the Nation.
