…Rival Thank-You Messages to Tinubu Expose Power Struggle Ahead of 2027 Governorship Race
By Our Reporter
A simmering power tussle has erupted within the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, issued conflicting public messages, each claiming presidential backing to lead the party’s structure in the state.
In a Facebook post, former Abia State governor and serving senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as a directive assigning him oversight of party affairs in the state.
“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 APC,” he wrote.
Kalu added that, as the most senior former governor in the state, he would work with stakeholders to ensure the emergence of broadly acceptable candidates capable of securing victory for the party and supporting the President’s re-election.
However, in a swift and pointed response, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu—widely seen as a governorship hopeful in Abia—offered a sharply different account of the President’s directive, suggesting that control of party affairs in the state rests with him.
“Thank you… President Bola Ahmed Tinubu… for insisting that Governors should handle party issues in their states with APC Governors, while the highest-ranking political office holders like the Deputy Speaker take care of the affairs in Abia State,” he wrote.
Benjamin Kalu further claimed that the President had reaffirmed this arrangement during a recent engagement, adding that the model had been consistently applied from ward to state congresses and had strengthened party unity.
“We are ready to win elections in Abia State… We will deliver Abia votes overwhelmingly,” he stated.
The conflicting claims by both men—long seen as political allies—have laid bare an intensifying struggle for control of the APC structure in Abia, with both camps projecting authority derived from the presidency.
The development is seen as a prelude to a broader contest ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly as Benjamin Kalu positions himself for a possible governorship bid, while Orji Uzor Kalu seeks to retain strategic influence over the party’s machinery in the state.
Despite both figures framing their positions as aligned with the President’s vision, their divergent interpretations underscore growing internal tensions within the Abia APC over leadership, structure, and the control of its political future.