By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Progressives League of APC Youths Voters have described as embarrassment that some leaders of the party engage in anti-party activities.
Towards this end, they have called on the the leadership of the party to discipline the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, over alleged Anti-party activities.
The group accused Kalu of sponsoring campaign of calumny against Hon. NKeiruka Onyejeocha who flew the party’s flag in Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly elections.
The group in a press briefing on Tuesday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to call Kalu to order in the interest of party’s unity in Abia State.
National Coordinator of the group, Usman Shuaibu, wondered how the DS openly castigating a committed party flagbearer who has given her all to ensure the victory of the party in the last general elections.
In his words: “The most recent is the sponsored Campaign of calumny against Hon. NKeiruka Onyejeocha who fly the party’s flag in Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly elections. She is presently the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment (State) Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It is no longer news that Honourable Nkeiruka who is our party’s flagbearer was robbed of her victory by the Labour Party in Abia State, where they deployed unethical means during the Presidential and National Assembly elections against the APC. Recalled that some APC groups raised the alarm calling for the restoration of her mandate which she vigorously pursued at the tribunal and won.
“Since her victory at the tribunal, which is the ultimate triumph of APC in Abia State, some highly placed persons in the National Assembly have unleashed a Campaign of calumny against her person using mushroom Organisations to blackmail Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and the APC in a bid to bully her to abandon her victory at the Appeal Court.
“We make bold to say, that we have identified the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Benjamin Kalu, who sees the victory of the Honourable Minister as a political threat instead of a blessing as the sponsor of the blackmail against Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
“Benjamin Kalu has become so desperate that he has resorted to using the name and office of the President Bola Ahmed to blackmail the Honourable Minister who is currently focused on her national assignments.
“Kalu has done everything possible to set even the Honourable Speaker of House Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and other highly placed members of the party against her.
“Everytime he fails in his bid to raise dust where there is none, he deploys a new evil machinations to bring Nkeiruka down.
“We are worried that, why should the victory of the APC and Hon Onyejeocha in Abia State becomes a nightmare for Benjamin Kalu? Is there something more to it that he is not telling the APC or his political associates?
“We know how some highly placed persons who are the major beneficiary of the APC worked against the party in the last Presidential elections in the guise of religion and tribal sentiment, thereby reducing the winning votes of our great party.”
Stressing the implications of such campaign against committed APC members, Shaibu said such will grow to affect the success of the party in the 2027 general elections.
“We recommend a disciplinary action against the deputy speaker, Mr Benjamin Kalu and his accomplices to serve as a deterrent to others who may wish to indulge in such dangerous anti-party activity in the nearest future.
“We call on the National Chairman of our great party, His Excellency (Dr) Abdullahi Umar Ganduje CON who is Reconciling and repositioning the party for a better tomorrow to immediately call Mr. Benjamin Kalu to order before he destroy the party completely in Abia State.
“Kalu is not from Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency neither is he a member of the Labour Party. One wonder what is His problem with the victory of Nkeiruka and the APC. This has proven that some members of the party actually engaged in anti party activities to subdue the APC from been declared winner of the House of Representatives election in Abia State.
“We equally call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to call the deputy speaker to order as the APC remain one united family, a united force that will lead us to victory in 2027.
“And if this campaign of calumny continues, we shall have no option than to occupy the National Assembly to demand the resignation of the deputy speaker, an action that would last until we achieve our demand. The APC belonged to all of us and we shall continue to maintain its supremacy,” he added.
