Abia Residents Chant ‘Obi! Obi!’ As Benjamin Kalu Campaigns For Tinubu At Cultural Festival
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, on Saturday, November 7, experienced an unexpected reaction from a crowd in Abia State after his appeal for support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election was met with repeated chants of “Obi! Obi!”
The incident occurred during the Item Okpi Cultural Festival in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, where Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency, addressed the gathering and urged residents to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
In a video that has since circulated widely on social media, the Deputy Speaker was heard appealing to the people in Igbo to vote for Tinubu, arguing that the president would bring more development to the area.
Kalu reportedly referenced the Federal Government’s intervention in the community’s educational infrastructure, including the establishment of a tertiary institution, while seeking the people’s support for the president.
However, rather than respond with the expected enthusiasm, sections of the crowd repeatedly chanted the name of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
“Obi! Obi! Obi!” the crowd shouted as Kalu continued his address.
The chants persisted even as the APC campaign song, “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand,” was heard during the gathering.
The reaction appeared to overshadow Kalu’s appeal, with the Deputy Speaker continuing his engagement amid the repeated interruptions.
The video has since generated widespread reactions, with several social media users interpreting the incident as an indication of Obi’s continued political appeal in the South-East.
The development is particularly noteworthy given Kalu’s position as one of the prominent APC figures championing Tinubu’s political fortunes in the region.
Only a day earlier, on Friday, November 6, Kalu had inaugurated the Abia State APC Campaign Council in Umuahia, where he urged the Igbo people to embrace political alliances with other regions and support Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
He had argued that the South-East needed strategic political engagement with the Federal Government to improve its influence and access to national development opportunities.
Saturday’s incident, however, presented a different picture of the political reception his message received among sections of the audience.
Peter Obi, who secured an overwhelming victory in Abia State during the 2023 presidential election, remains a significant political figure in the South-East. He is now seeking the presidency under the NDC platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Although the chants at the cultural festival cannot be taken as a representation of the political position of every resident of Abia State or everyone who attended the event, the incident has renewed conversations about the APC’s efforts to expand its political support base in the South-East.
It also underscores the distinction between political endorsements by influential leaders and the willingness of ordinary voters to identify with the candidates being promoted.
For Kalu, whose political constituency includes Bende, the reaction at the cultural gathering has become an unexpected talking point in the emerging political contest ahead of 2027.