While rallying support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reelection bid in Aba, Abia State, on Saturday, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, was met with loud chants of Peter Obi from the attendees.
Kalu, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had told the crowd to vote for President Tinubu on January 16, 2026.
Describing Tinubu as the best Presidential Candidate, the lawmaker said the South-East had a lot to gain if Tinubu is elected.
“President Tinubu has remembered us. He has remembered the South East. He has remembered Bende. The only way to say thank you is to vote him for a second time,” Kalu told the crowd, which replied him by chanting, “Obi! Obi!! Obi!!! Obi!!!!.
Speaking in native Igbo language, Kalu tried to pacify the crowd but they kept chanting Obi.
Suddenly, a woman suspected to be one of Obi’s supporters seized the microphone and started chanting, “Kererenke!” and the crowd responded, “Obi!”
The atmosphere was charged as they sang the popular lingo in the South East, which supporters of Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), now use to express support for him.
One of the organisers of the event quickly collected the microphone from her and asked her to step down from the podium.
The drama continued as Kalu attempted to fight back by singing, “On Your Mandate we Shall Stand”, known as the personal anthem of Tinubu, in political circles.
However, the action of the lawmaker had little or no effect as the crowd continued chanting the name of Tinubu’s rival.
The lawmaker paused and asked the crowd, “You don’t want this university they want to build for you?”
Realising how determined their support is for Obi, Kalu jocularly said, “These people are not Item people.”
What You Should Know
A political rally held by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu in Abia State to campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reelection faced open resistance from residents who repeatedly chanted the name of opposition figure Peter Obi.
- Political Insight: The incident highlights the deep-rooted political loyalties and ongoing competition for influence in the South-East region ahead of upcoming elections.
- Potential Reactions: It demonstrates the challenges faced by ruling party officials in gaining mainstream electoral traction in areas strongly sympathetic to opposition candidates.
