Ex-council boss leads PDP, YPP chieftains in Bende to APC
* Collapses all political structures for Reps Deputy Speaker, Kalu
By Steve Oko
The immediate-past Chairman of Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, and a stalwart of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Emmanuel Onwuchekwa (Ota Bende), on Sunday, folded the Big umbrella after collapsing his political structure for the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Many other chieftains of the PDP; and the Young Peoples Party, YPP, in the area and other parts of the state also joined the APC at the event which held at the Bende country home of the Deputy Speaker which has become a Mecca of sports since the Yuletide.

Declaring for the APC, Chief Onwuchekwa, said they decided to renounce their former parties to support the Deputy Speaker.
Wawa News Global reports that a good number of PDP members and members of other political parties from Bende and other parts of the state, are already working for Hon. Kalu who they see as a potential Igbo political leader with uncommon sagacity and large heart.
Kalu blends well by accommodating non APC members thus expanding his support base and spreading democracy dividends beyond party loyalists.
As the sixth man in the country and the highest political office holder in the South East for the moment, Kalu’s fast-rising profile is already intimidating.
They said that the Deputy Speaker had shown capacity and credibility in leadership, hence their decision to support him to deliver more democracy dividends to the people.


Onwuchekwa who spoke for other decampees said that because of the Deputy Speaker, they had decided to collapse every political structure in Bende to strengthen his support base in the constituency.
Adding his voice, former member representing Ukwa West state constituency, Hon. Tony Mezie Nwaubani, said they had “joined APC fullscale”.
Describing the Deputy Speaker as a visionary leader, the former lawmaker said Ndigbo would give him every support he needed to succeed in office.
Some of the decampees were the House of Assembly candidate of the YPP in the 2023 election for Bende state constituency, Okechukwu Iboko; former Commissioner in Local Government Service Commission, Chief Orji Udeagha, among others.
Receiving the decampees, the Deputy Speaker thanked them for joining the moving train, saying that APC has come to stay.
He said that time had come for the South East to join the maintream political party and get their share at the centre
The Deputy Speaker who said the party meant well for the South East, solicited the support of the zone for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who he said, had shown interest in the affairs of Ndigbo.
Some of the APC chieftains at the event included Senator Chris Adighije; former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika; former Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Rt. Stanley Ohajuruka; former Minister for Labour Emeka Nwogu, among a host of others.
Meanwhile the Deputy Speaker distributed food stuffs, motorcycles and other empowerment items including cash worth millions of Naira to the people under PISE-P food for security programme.









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