By Tony Icheku 

Ahead 2027 General Elections, a high-stakes political drama of ambition and ego is unfolding in Abia State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC with all the hallmarks of a Shakespearean tragedy

As Abia's two powerful men - Hon Ben Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North Senatorial district,  both with singular, obsessive ambitions tussle for the soul of the party, the fragile threads holding the party together has been rend asunder


The two Kalus - no relationship - had taken to their respective Facebook social media pages claiming  to be the rightful steward of the party’s soul in Abia; both claim a divine—or at least presidential—mandate from President Bola Tinubu to lead the charge toward the 2027 elections.

 The elder statesman,  Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu took the first pot  shot from his Facebook page when he claimed that he had been entrusted with coordinating the activities of the ruling APC in Abia State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a move seen as part of broader political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.



Kalu, who displayed a picture he took with President Tinubu claimed the directive followed his  recent visit to the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. “I sincerely thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the confidence reposed in me and the marching order to coordinate activities in Abia State in respect of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he stated.

“As the most senior governor in the State, I am committed to working closely with all stakeholders, in line with the president’s directive, to ensure that the APC in Abia produces candidates who are widely acceptable, united in purpose, and well-positioned to secure victory in the State for the president’s re-election, while advancing the best interests of Abia State and Nigeria at large,” Kalu added.

However, the Deputy Speaker counters his submission in his own Facebook page equally thanking President Tinubu for "... insisting governors should handle the issues of the party in the States with APC governors while the higher ranking political office holders like himself takes care of the affairs in Abia Stateb. "Thanks for re-emphasizing this on Friday during the engagement ", he submitted.

Amidst the simmering feud, his conclusion of an APC "never more united," a strategic machine primed for "overwhelming electoral victories." reads like an ironic twist.

At play in this tussle for supremacy is  control of expected  bulky campaign funds said to be in the region of billions of naira. The State Leader would equally dispense favours to fawning loyalists and the highest bidders for elective positions and future political appointments should the party return to the centre or win in Abia State. Equally at stake is the gubernatorial tickets which the two Kalus has shown more than a passing interest.

While the Deputy Speaker clearly lust for the Guber ticket, he plays like Julius Caesar who thrice rejected the Roman crown offered him, hoping that finally the crown would fall on his laps

 Kalu, former governor, two-term Senator and a titan of Nigerian politics, asserts that his credentials as the State’s most senior political figure  is not merely a matter of current rank, but of pedigree, influence, and the deep-rooted loyalty of a grassroots base he has cultivated for decades. By positioning himself as the primary coordinator for the President's re-election bid, he has effectively created a parallel government within the party.

OUK's interest in Abia Guber ticket is being projected by his younger  brother, Mascot Uzor Kalu who is equally battling the Deputy Speaker for allegedly attempting to force APC stakeholders award him (Kalu)  the guber ticket 

The resulting "leadership dilemma"  has left party loyalists in a state of quiet panic. In the corridors of power in Umuahia and Abuja, the question is no longer how to defeat the opposition Labour Party, but who actually holds the keys to the APC’s local headquarters.

Political analysts describe the situation as a classic "collision of power" Where there should be a unified front, there is instead a vacuum filled by ego and ambition. Behind the scenes, the mobilization of rival camps threatens to turn the APC into a "theatre of political rivalry" just as the 2027 permutations begin to take shape.

Abia has long been a difficult terrain for the APC, and the current discord plays directly into the hands of the incumbent Governor, Alex Otti. Even as  the two Kalus trade statements and claim presidential favor, the party’s base is being eroded by the very thing it seeks to project: instability.

As the dust rises over Abia red mud battleground, one thing is certain: President Tinubu’s projected 25% votes hangs in the balance as APC  Abia remains a house divided against itself. Until the battle for the "true leader" is settled, the party’s path to 2027 remains trapped in a cycle of high-stakes confusion and internal instability.