Abia North’s winning team

By Okey Sampson, Umuahia

In football administration, no good coach ever contemplates changing a winning team, hence the growing popularity of the axiomatic expression, “you don’t change a winning team”.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known the world over as Pelé, was a Brazilian football great who played for his country in three World Cups spanning twelve years. He was never dropped within that period, even when age was not on his side, because of his skill and mastery on the field. The same could be said of two other football greats, Lionel Andrés Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. Like Pelé, both wore their countries’ armbands in every World Cup for a decade or more. Even as age has naturally caught up with them, they have remained on the field owing to their undisputed achievements. They are all-time winners, and you don’t change a winning team.

Putting football alongside politics, it is a known fact that experience has never been traded for experiment, nor consistency for empty grandeur. It is on this basis that people, as in football, do not always favour changing their best representatives during elections. In Abia North, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, the senator representing the district in the upper legislative chamber, could be likened to a winning team that should not be changed, whatever the circumstances.

Senator Kalu’s achievements over the years have been recognised as far away as the United Kingdom. The chairperson of the Cultural Committee of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), UK South, Hon. Ebere Nwokenna, popularly known as Lady Eby, recently urged the people of Abia North Senatorial District to evaluate Senator Kalu’s performance based on the tangible impact of his projects and programmes on their daily lives, and to vote him back. Lady Nwokenna was not alone in this assessment. Other constituents, and even people outside Abia North, have likewise attested to Kalu’s strong record of achievement.

Explaining why Senator Kalu should be re-elected, a constituent, Comrade Otis Ojo, said his years in public service had given him the experience to understand the needs of the people and the capacity to represent them effectively. He added that Kalu’s achievements were not just stories but things people had seen and experienced for themselves, something even a child in Abia North could testify to. From grassroots development and infrastructure to youth empowerment, healthcare, job creation and strong legislative representation, he said the record spoke for itself in Senator Kalu’s favour.

Comrade Oji Ujah Oji, another constituent and the Abia State Director of the Abia Eyewitness Network for Tinubu, placed Kalu above his contemporaries and contenders ahead of next year’s election. “As we march towards the 2027 general election, and having considered the political credentials of other contenders, there is a strong argument that Kalu remains well positioned to take Abia North to greater heights,” he said. “The Eyewitness Network for Tinubu, Abia State Chapter, proudly endorses the re-election of Distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) for Abia North Senatorial District.”

Ogbonnaya James Njoku, also known as Hon. Pa James, is another who believes Senator Kalu has performed well and deserves re-election. He argued that representation should be measured by impact, accessibility, intervention and the ability to bring constituents’ concerns to the attention of government. For him, Kalu remains the best person to have represented Abia North, protecting its interests, attracting opportunities and influencing national decisions that place the district on an equal footing with other developed areas.

Warning against electing someone whose only notable record was mistreating subordinates while serving as a local government chairman, several residents said experience and performance should breed continuity, making Senator Kalu a compelling choice for Abia North in 2027. Pa James, who believes Kalu remains the only credible option for the senatorial zone, summed up his view simply: “We have seen the work, we have seen the impact, now we stand with OUK.”

He continued, “In the area of project execution, interventions and constituency representation, OUK has demonstrated a record that, in my assessment, completely outstrips previous representations of Abia North. His constituents can point to interventions across education, roads, infrastructure, employment opportunities and human capital development. We have witnessed initiatives aimed at empowering young people and exposing them to opportunities beyond their immediate environment. The reported opportunities for some youths to travel abroad, including to China and Venezuela, for training and career development demonstrate the importance of investing in human capacity.”

Chief Uche Aguoru, the state publicity secretary of the APC, though not from Abia North, was similarly impressed by Senator Kalu’s record. He described him as not just a politician but a developer of people, a builder of communities and a man driven by an unshakeable commitment to the progress of his people. What set Kalu apart, he said, was not just the volume of projects he undertook but the personal touch he brought to governance. In a recent video that circulated widely, the senator revealed that he often supplemented federal allocations with personal funds to ensure road projects were completed, which Aguoru said spoke of love, passion and sacrifice.

On roads, Aguoru said Senator Kalu had ventured into terrain others overlooked, bringing access to communities that had been on the brink of isolation from the rest of the state. He listed several road interventions, including the construction of a 1.5 kilometre stretch of Apanu Item road in Bende local government area, 2.1 kilometres of Akanukwu road in Ohafia local government area, 3.5 kilometres of Isiugwu road, also in Ohafia, and 2 kilometres of Obinkita road from the slaughter area in Aro town, Arochukwu local government area. Others included 2 kilometres of Amaiyi Amaigbo road in Isuikwuato local government area and 4 kilometres of Itumbauzo road, in two phases, in Bende local government area, among many other road projects in Abia North.

Aguoru concluded that it was rare to find a politician who combined influence with compassion, but that Kalu stood out in that regard. Since 1999, he said, Kalu had remained one of the most productive and influential figures in Nigerian politics. His legacy as governor set a benchmark that subsequent administrations in Abia had yet to surpass, and his performance as senator continued to set the pace for others.

Senator Kalu has also made notable interventions in education in Abia North, including school renovations, scholarship awards and the provision of instructional and educational materials. By investing in classroom infrastructure and providing essential learning materials, he has continued to contribute meaningfully to improving education standards and giving children across Abia North the support they need to succeed academically. An aide said recently, while handing over education materials to students and pupils in the area, that Senator Kalu’s intention was to prepare children to compete with their peers in China, the United States, the United Kingdom and other leading nations.

At each school visited, principals, head teachers and staff commended Senator Kalu for what they described as his consistent investment in education. They said the distribution of learning materials came at a crucial time and would enhance teaching and learning in their schools, and offered prayers that he would continue to support educational development in the district.

Thanking the senator, residents of the areas where the benefiting schools are located said Abia North deserved continuity in purposeful leadership. Re-electing Senator Kalu, they added, would maintain the momentum of his interventions in education and other development initiatives, noting that as the 2027 election approaches, voters will decide which vision they believe is best for the future of Abia North. In their view, other contenders for the Abia North seat fall well short of Senator Kalu’s record.