Aba/Bende, Abia State — Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu faced repeated chants of “Obi! Obi! Obi!” and “Kererenke, Obi!” from a large crowd on Saturday while urging support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid at the Item Okpi Cultural Festival.
Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency and is a leading All Progressives Congress (APC) figure in the South-East, addressed the gathering during the cultural event. He described Tinubu as the best candidate for Nigeria and highlighted the president’s attention to the region, particularly Bende.
“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 audience, according to multiple reports and video footage circulating widely online. He also referenced planned development projects, including a federal university, classrooms, roads and health centres for the community, asking whether residents did not want the university.
The crowd responded by drowning out parts of his speech with sustained chants of Peter Obi’s name. Obi is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Video clips show the chants intensifying as Kalu continued speaking in Igbo and attempted to lead the APC campaign anthem “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand.”
At one point, a woman believed to be an Obi supporter took the microphone and began chanting “Kererenke,” prompting the crowd to respond with “Obi!” Event organisers quickly intervened, retrieved the microphone and asked her to leave the podium. Kalu reportedly continued trying to address the audience, at one stage suggesting some of those chanting were not from Item.
The incident, captured in videos shared on social media has drawn significant attention ahead of the 2027 general elections. Kalu had attended the festival after participating in APC campaign activities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Peter Obi won Abia State in the 2023 presidential election, and the episode has been interpreted by many online commentators as a sign of continued strong support for him in the South-East. As of Sunday, there was no immediate public response from Kalu or the APC on the viral footage.
The Item Okpi Cultural Festival traditionally draws large crowds from the area. The event underscores the competitive political atmosphere in Abia as parties intensify campaigns for the January 2027 polls.
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