Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has secured the All Progressives Congress, APC, ticket to represent Bende Federal Constituency for a third term after emerging unopposed in Saturday’s primaries.
Speaking to journalists in Umuahia, Kalu said the overwhelming endorsement showed that his constituents wanted continuity and completion of ongoing projects.
He noted that no other candidate picked a form to contest against him, insisting that it was a sign the people wanted him to finish what he had started.
‎Kalu attributed the support to growing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which he said he had been projecting at the grassroots through constituency projects and legislative interventions.
‎He expressed gratitude to the people of Bende for standing by him since 2019 and promised not to betray their trust.
‎‎The Deputy Speaker assured the constituency of continued selfless representation, pledging more bills, oversight, and federal attention to their needs.
‎‎Kalu said the APC would back Tinubu’s reforms and use legislative tools to fine-tune policies for greater impact.
On the party’s internal process, Kalu said the APC rejected automatic tickets and insisted on either consensus or direct primaries to test the popularity of aspirants.
‎He noted that most primaries in Abia on Saturday were conducted through direct primaries, stressing that transparency and accountability remained the rule of the game.
Looking ahead to 2027, Kalu said he was confident of victory for both himself and the APC based on performance and experience.
He argued that replacing ranking lawmakers with newcomers would slow development, adding that seniority mattered in Parliament.
‎Kalu vowed to run a grassroots campaign across homes, markets, and wards, and said his track record would be difficult for any opponent to match.
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