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The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has commenced the distribution of 853 solar-powered lighting systems to households in his Bende constituency of Abia State.
The Director-General of the Benjamin Kalu Campaign Organisation, Hon. Emma Trumps Eke, disclosed this in Umuahia while receiving some elected former councillors from Bende Local Government Area who paid a visit to the campaign organisation.
Eke said more than 853 households in Bende would benefit from the solar-powered lighting project by the time the distribution exercise was completed.
He said the project was one of several initiatives Kalu had lined up for his constituents between now and December.
On the 2027 election in Bende, Eke expressed confidence in Kalu’s chances of retaining his seat, saying the campaign organisation was already focused on securing his re-election.
“As far as we are concerned, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has no serious contender in 2027. We have gone beyond the permutation of whether he will win or not,” he said.
Eke dismissed concerns about the emergence of Chima Anyaso as a possible challenger, saying the campaign organisation was prepared for the election.
“Nobody should panic over the election for Bende. Chima Anyaso, that some people are talking about, is not even prepared for the election. We are more than prepared. By December, we will turn the heat on him and if he withdraws from the race, that will be alright,” he said.
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Eke also defended Kalu’s record in office, arguing that replacing him would amount to losing the benefits associated with his current position as Deputy Speaker.
He said Kalu had attracted two higher institutions to the constituency within one calendar year and had raised Bende’s profile at the National Assembly, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and internationally.
“Kalu is number two at the House of Representatives with the accolades of that office. Will Bende trade that with number 360? Because if Anyaso wins, that will be his number and you know what that means for Bende,” Eke said.
He described local government councillors as the bedrock of the legislative arm of government at the grassroots, but regretted that councillors in Bende had been politically marginalised over the years.
Eke promised that the situation would change, while commending the former councillors for identifying with Kalu’s political aspirations.
Earlier, the leader of the former councillors, Hon. John Eke, said they visited to identify with Kalu’s re-election bid, noting that the Deputy Speaker had performed well for the constituency.
John Eke regretted what he described as the neglect of former councillors in Bende and called for a change.
He said former councillors drawn from the 13 political wards in Bende had come together to support Kalu’s re-election.
