The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has told President Bola Tinubu that the Igbo ethnic group will give him more than 70% of the vote in the 2027 election.
Kalu stated that it would be one of the ways to repay the President for his dedication to the development of Igbo land.
Kalu, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, on Friday, said Tinubu has fulfilled the promise of rehabilitation, reconstruction, and reconciliation made by Yakubu Gowon’s military administration by establishing the South Eastern Development Commission.
The Deputy Speaker made the remarks on Friday in Ntalakwu, Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State, during a lavish reception hosted by the Atuma Grace Movement, a political structure led by Emeka Atuma, a former member of the House of Representatives.
Kalu, who was also given the chieftaincy title of Dike Eji Aga Mba (The People’s Warrior) by the traditional monarch of the Ntalakwu ancient kingdom in Ikwuano Oboro, King Larry, vowed that the South East will continue to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Kalu said, “We are promising the President 70 to 80 per cent of votes from Igboland. Let us continue to remain as people who love peace and unity. No other president has remembered the promise made to the Igbo people after the war like President Bola Tinubu.
“Fifty years came and passed, administrations came and passed; none of them deemed it right to fulfil those promises made to Ndi Igbo, and only President Bola Tinubu took it upon himself and said there must be a platform to respond to those proposals made to Ndi Igbo.
“He chose the South East Development Commission, which no other president accepted to sign. He answered our problem to enable us to develop the rural communities in Igboland. He signed the SEDC bill into law and has funded it even when naysayers said he wouldn’t. He loves Ndi Igbo, and we Igbos remember those who love us.”
He added, “On the public outcry that the authorities in Abia are frustrating an interface between traditional rulers and state officials, Kalu condemned the development, saying it is an ill wind that blows the people no good. I heard the cry of the traditional ruler who mentioned that he was asked not to come and receive the Deputy Speaker by the powers that be in the state when we were received in Bende.
“We heard that they were asked not to receive those from the federal government and asked not to go to any function promoting President Bola Tinubu. It ought not to be so! The election has come and gone. Now, it is time for governance.
“Restricting the traditional rulers from coming to welcome those working with the president is not the right leadership that Abia State is looking for.
“Those who are threatening the traditional rulers, please, we beg you, allow them the freedom to exercise the mandate of the people. Abia State should be free for everybody to express where they want to belong and who they want to follow,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the host, Emeka Atuma, welcomed the Deputy Speaker and stated that the All Progressives Congress is growing stronger in Abia State.
