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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu has said he no longer extends hands of fellowship for Governor Alex Otti of Abia to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Rt. Hon Kalu had during a political event in Bende town in January, wooed Otti to join APC and contest next year’s election, assuring him of the party’s support should he come on board.
However, speaking with newsmen at his house in Bende on Friday, the Deputy Speaker said the time he wooed the Governor was over.
According to the Deputy Speaker, “Initially, I asked him to join APC because I felt Abia was isolated when his brother governors in South East who are of APC will be sitting down to discuss, Abia will not be there. His joining would have opened more doors for the state.”
He further stated that the bond of friendship between him and the Governor made him to woo Otti to APC.
Rt. Hon Kalu emphasized that Otti would have carried the banner of the party in 2027, if he had joined, stressing he no longer asked the Governor to join APC.
“I am not anymore asking Otti to join APC, at the appropriate time, the party will field her Governorship candidate for the state.
On whether he would be vying for the Governorship seat in 2027, Kalu who said this is the time for governance and not politicking, however stated he was waiting on his party to decide before taking any decision.
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“My joining the Governorship race will depend on the decision of APC, I believe in the supremacy of the party and I will abide by her decision. But don’t forget I am qualified to be Governor of the state.”
On the contentious tax law, the Reps Deputy Speaker said it was a fearless leader who meant well for his people, that would cause such law to be enacted.
He said anybody parading any fake tax law, the one not passed by the national assembly was on his own as such would not be implemented.
Debunking insinuation in some quarters that the NASS is deliberately delaying the passage of the electoral act amendment bill, Kalu said it was not true, adding that the House of Representatives has finished its job on the bill, awaiting the Senate for harmonization which he said will be done when NASS resumes.
Kalu made it clear that the national assembly is on the same page with President Bola Tinubu on Local Government financial autonomy which the Supreme Court had earlier ruled on.
He urged state Governors to abide by the decision of the Supreme Court on the matter to strengthen democracy in the country.
He decried a situation where he said the state government through his officials prevent some of the projects he attracted for the state from being executed.
“Imagine where a deputy local government chairman will come to tell the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives that he was directed to stop the project from being executed, probably because it was attracted by the deputy Speaker.
“This is novel, it wasn’t like this when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was in power in the state. The projects we attracted then were executed without hindrance”, Kalu enthused.
