A Baptist cleric, Reverend Samson Okoro Elekwa, has appealed to the Labour Party candidate, David Ogba Onuoha Bourdex, and Uko Nkole of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to withdraw from the 2027 Abia North senatorial race and support the incumbent senator, Orji Uzor Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Elekwa said Kalu’s record of representation and development across Abia North justified his continued stay in the Senate, urging voters in the district to focus on what he described as the senator’s tangible achievements.
Speaking to journalists, the cleric said Kalu had attracted several interventions to communities across the senatorial district, particularly in road infrastructure, education and human capital development.
He argued that the district should consolidate on what he described as the senator’s achievements rather than change direction ahead of the 2027 elections.
‘I honestly wonder what those campaigning against Orji Uzor Kalu are looking at. Politics should not prevent us from acknowledging development when we see it,’ Elekwa said.
‘Look at what Kalu has done across Abia North and compare it with what we had before him.’
Elekwa also cited the lengthy tenures of former senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and the late Uche Chukwumerije in making a case for Kalu’s continued representation.
‘If Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe could remain in the National Assembly for about 20 years and the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije represented Abia North for 12 years, then I see no reason our people should be talking about replacing a senator who, in my assessment, has delivered tremendously for the district,’ he said.
The cleric further urged Kalu’s supporters to continue highlighting the senator’s interventions in infrastructure and youth development, saying several young people had benefited from his human-capacity development initiatives.
Elekwa described Kalu as ‘Abia’s greatest gift from God’ and ‘a divine instrument,’ through whom, he said, communities across Abia North had witnessed development.
He specifically mentioned road projects in Ndi Orieke in Ohafia Local Government Area and Amannagwu in Arochukwu LGA, alongside other interventions across the district.
‘The road in Ndi Orieke, Ohafia, and the one in Amannagwu, Arochukwu, are just a few among the many projects Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has brought to our people,’ he said.
‘He didn’t just talk; he acted. These roads have opened up our communities and helped our farmers, traders and transporters. For me, this is real empowerment because infrastructure continues to serve the people long after the politics is over.’
According to Elekwa, communities including Atan Abam, Alayi, Ezeukwu, Ndi Inya Abam, Isu, Umuzomgbo, Itumbauzo, Okoko Item, Nneato, Akanu Ohafia and Abia Ohafia had also benefited from Kalu’s representation.
He said the senator’s interventions extended beyond infrastructure to investments aimed at creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities in the state.
Elekwa cited Kalu’s investments in Abia, including an ongoing university project, hostels and factories, as examples of what he described as the senator’s long-term commitment to the state’s economic development.
‘Kalu is not only building roads; he is building hope, restoring pride and creating opportunities for another generation. We must acknowledge and protect this legacy,’ he said.
The cleric also claimed that residents outside Abia North had taken note of the district’s federal interventions, with some residents in Abia South and Abia Central, according to him, wishing for similar projects in their communities.
He consequently called on Bourdex and Nkole to place what he described as the collective interest of Abia North above their individual political ambitions.
‘The South East needs leaders who can combine political influence with development and grassroots representation. Senator Kalu has demonstrated capacity, reach and commitment to his people,’ Elekwa said.
‘My appeal to Bourdex and Nkole is simple: step down and support Orji Uzor Kalu. Abia North should consolidate on the development already taking place rather than allow political differences to distract us from what is working.’
Elekwa also urged voters in Abia North to assess all candidates based on their records and contributions to the district, rather than political sentiments, insisting that Kalu’s performance remained, in his view, the strongest argument for his re-election