Preparations for the 2027 general elections have begun. Politicians with ambitions for the various political positions in the land are in frenetic activities for the actualization of their ambitions.
In Abia state, there are speculations that the incumbent Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu, is nursing the ambition of wresting power from the incumbent governor of the state, Dr Alex Otti.
The ambition of the deputy speaker is legitimate and constitutional. He has the inalienable rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) to contest for any position in the country.
However, the deputy speaker should look before he leaps. At the moment, he’s the highest ranking citizen in the hierarchy of Nigeria from the south east. There are many politicians from his region and particularly from his own state of Abia who are not happy with his meteoric rise to the vantage position.
There are those pushing him to contest for the governorship knowing full well that he can never defeat the incumbent governor in a free, fair and credible election. These politicians are mainly in his own party – the All Progressives Congress( APC).
The deputy speaker knows too well that he can’t contest two positions at the same time. Once he gets the ticket of the APC for the governorship position, he can never revert to contest for the position of the House of Representatives. He must choose one.
Those pushing him to slug it out with the governor know that he will fail. They are uncomfortable with the reality that he’s calling the shots in respect of anything concerning the APC in the state. Some of them are gutted how their former political boy is now the political leader in the state.
Some analysts posit that the deputy speaker is leaning heavily on federal might to rig the governor out because he knows that he himself lacks the capacity to defeat a performing governor like Governor Otti.  The federal might disappoint him should he take the gamble and jump into the contest with his eyes blindfolded.
My honest and candid advice to the deputy speaker is to return to the House of Representatives. Perhaps, if the incumbent president wins a second term, the party may retain the current principal positions in the National Assembly, particularly the presiding officers. Then by 2031 when the governorship seat should automatically revert to the Abia North where the deputy speaker hails from, he will be in a very strong and pole position to grab the seat. A deputy speaker for eight solid years should be very strong politically to contest for the governorship seat. The deputy speaker is still a young man after all.
The current governor was denied the position for two consecutive times before he finally became successful in 2023. The deputy speaker should be patient and wait for his time. Those pushing him to dive into the contest are uncomfortable with his current vantage position and relevance in the country. They want him to fail and get out of their way. That’s how they rejoiced when the then senate president, Senator Adolphus Nwagbara fell from his lofty position.
Finally, the truth of the matter is that there’s currently no politician in Abia state who can defeat Governor Otti in a free and fair election. He has done relatively well and in fact, has performed more than his three predecessors put together. This writer was born in Aba and bred in Aba. The difference between Governor Otti and his predecessors is very clear even to the blind. He should be allowed to complete his eight years. Imagine what Abia, especially Aba, will look like after his second term. Anyone who truly loves Abia state should not disrupt him. Other political parties may field candidates against him to fulfill all righteousness but they will all be beaten silly at the polls.
By Ifeanyi Maduako,
Owerri, Imo state
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