By Udora Orizu
In politics, the loudest applause may come from a rally, but the truest verdict is often heard in the quiet conversations between a leader and his people. Across Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, those conversations have been taking place, but not on a campaign podium, but in palaces, churches, community halls, village squares and meetings with the people.
For Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, PhD, CFR, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the journey towards 2027 has begun in an unusual place: with the people, before the politics.
As he winds down his ward-to-ward “MeetMyConstituentsConsultations”, Kalu has been visiting the wards that make up the federal constituency he represents, meeting the people whose mandate placed him in the National Assembly and whose verdict will ultimately determine whether he returns.
But this has been more than a tour. It has been a conversation. A conversation with traditional rulers and clergy. With presidents-general, community leaders, women and youths, vigilante groups and commercial motorcycle operators. With the men and women whose daily experiences provide the most authentic measure of what representation means beyond the walls of the National Assembly.
From Bende to Ozuitem, Uzuakoli to Itumbauzo, Umuhu Ezechi to Umuimenyi Nkpa, Item, Igbere, Alayi and other wards, Kalu has encountered a constituency willing to speak and willing to listen. What has emerged from those encounters is striking.
Again and again, stakeholders have pointed to projects, interventions, visibility and the unusual national influence that has accompanied Kalu’s rise to the position of Deputy Speaker. And many have urged him to seek another term in 2027. But beneath the endorsements lies something more profound, Trust!! Trust built over time.
Trust tested through performance. And as the consultations draw to a close, one message has resonated across Bende: The people have seen the journey, they have heard the story, and for many of them, they are asking Kalu to continue it.
Traditional Rulers: A Strong Vote of Confidence
One of the clearest indications of the mood emerging from the consultations came from the Bende South State Constituency (Ikwuisi) Traditional Rulers Council. The royal fathers, led by the Chairman of the Council, Eze Uchendu Okorie, Ekwo II of Akaekwo Uzuakoli, declared their support for Kalu’s third-term bid and dismissed claims of an existing zoning arrangement that would prevent him from seeking another term. Their argument was straightforward: performance should matter.
Eze Okorie commended Kalu for what he described as impressive representation and developmental strides across Bende, declaring that Uzuakoli and the wards of Bende were behind him. The monarch went further, urging Kalu to remain courageous and focused.
Another traditional ruler, Eze P.C. Onyegbu, challenged the zoning narrative, arguing that there had been no binding arrangement of the kind being circulated by some interests.
More importantly, he anchored his position on performance. He argued that Kalu had distinguished himself through projects, legislative representation, oversight, networking and the ability to attract federal attention and development to the constituency.
That observation captures one of the central arguments surrounding Kalu’s leadership. The office of a legislator, particularly one who has risen to the position of Deputy Speaker, comes with the opportunity to build relationships beyond the constituency. Those relationships can become channels through which federal institutions, projects and opportunities reach local communities.
For the traditional rulers, therefore, Kalu’s position at the national level is not simply a matter of prestige. It is an opportunity they believe should continue to benefit Bende.
Eze Patrick Udeh of Bende similarly expressed confidence in Kalu, insisting that the Deputy Speaker had continued to make Bende and the wider Igbo community proud. The message from the traditional institution was unmistakable: continuity, in their view, is tied to performance.
The Umunna Endorsement and the Politics of Performance
The position of the Umunna Traditional Rulers Council reinforced the same narrative. Comprising traditional rulers from Item, Alayi, Igbere and Ezeukwu communities, the council also expressed support for Kalu’s return to the House of Representatives.
At the palace of Eze Kalu Okorie Ezeukwu, the traditional rulers highlighted projects and interventions attributed to Kalu’s representation.
Eze Innocent Kalu Mba described him as the best legislator to have represented the federal constituency, pointing to his national visibility and the projects attracted to the area.
For the traditional rulers, the choice before Bende is therefore not merely about who wants to occupy a political office. It is about what the office has produced. Their position suggests a growing political philosophy within the constituency: performance should be the basis for continuity. That argument could become one of the defining issues of the 2027 contest.
The Clergy Joins the Conversation
The consultations have also extended into the religious community. At the Methodist Cathedral in Uzuakoli, religious leaders, led by the Bishop of the Methodist Diocese of Uzuakoli, Bishop James A. Anyanwu, alongside the Most Rev. Bishop Nwaulo Ikechukwu Emezie of the Methodist Diocese of Item, engaged the Deputy Speaker on issues affecting their institutions and communities.
Importantly, the meeting was not limited to political endorsement. The church leaders presented concerns, including what they described as inadequate government attention to some church-established facilities and institutions serving the people of Bende.
They asked Kalu to intervene.
The Deputy Speaker, in response, assured them that their concerns would be incorporated into development plans for the constituency. He also disclosed plans for a technical session involving about 130 religious leaders to deliberate on selected projects, particularly those concerning youth development.
The engagement demonstrates another dimension of stakeholder consultation.
Support does not necessarily mean silence.
It can mean the freedom to raise concerns, ask questions and demand more. And leadership, in turn, is measured by the willingness to listen and respond.
From Endorsement to Responsibility
Kalu has responded to the endorsements with appreciation, but his remarks have consistently returned to responsibility.
At the meeting with the traditional rulers, he acknowledged that the achievements recorded in the constituency were made possible through the prayers, cooperation and trust of the people.
He highlighted interventions in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, youth and women empowerment and other areas.
He also promised that more development would be attracted to Bende.
At Umunna, he pointed to the potential impact of federal institutions attracted to the area, arguing that their presence would create employment and stimulate economic activity.
Beyond the Applause: The Erosion Emergency
Perhaps the clearest indication that Kalu’s consultations are not simply about endorsements came during his visit to erosion-affected communities. On the sidelines of the stakeholder engagements, the Deputy Speaker led officials of the Ecological Project Office, including the Director of Soil and Erosion Flood Control, B’aba Bomoi, to Uzuakoli and Ozuitem for an emergency assessment of areas affected by erosion.
The situation confronting residents was described as increasingly severe, with homes, roads, streets and farmlands reportedly being affected as gullies expand during the rainy season.
Kalu described the situation as a matter of urgent public importance and called for immediate intervention by the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ecological Project Office.
The intervention is significant because it illustrates what grassroots representation looks like when it moves beyond ceremonial meetings. The people raise a problem, the representative sees it. Relevant government agencies are brought to the location, an assessment is conducted, and the process of seeking intervention begins.
Kalu also pointed out that he had previously submitted an application to the Ecological Project Office through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation when the erosion problem was less severe.
The development underscores a broader reality of constituency representation: many of the challenges confronting communities cannot be solved by legislation alone.
They require the ability to connect local needs to national institutions.
A Leadership Built on Access
Kalu’s rise to the position of Deputy Speaker has fundamentally altered the political significance of his representation. He is no longer merely a member representing a federal constituency. He occupies one of the highest legislative offices in Nigeria. That position has given Bende a national political visibility that traditional rulers and community stakeholders repeatedly referenced during the consultations.
For the people supporting his return, the Deputy Speakership represents an asset that should not be casually surrendered.
One of the traditional rulers captured this sentiment when he argued that the office was important not only to Bende, but also to Abia State, the South-East and the wider Igbo community.
The argument is essentially about leverage.
In politics, access matters, relationships matter, institutional influence matters. And the ability to convert national influence into local development can become an important measure of representation.
Leadership Through Listening
Perhaps the most consequential aspect of the “MeetMyConstituentsConsultations” is not the number of endorsements Kalu has received, it is the model of engagement they represent.
Leadership is often associated with speaking, making promises, announcing projects, defending policies and communicating achievements. But effective leadership also requires listening.
By moving from community to community and meeting different segments of Bende society, Kalu has created a platform where representation can be examined from multiple perspectives.
That process deepens trust. It allows communities to express themselves directly. It gives the representative an opportunity to explain what has been done and what remains unfinished, and it creates a foundation for consensus. That is why the exercise goes beyond politics.
Three National Recognitions, One Growing Narrative
Kalu’s constituency engagements are taking place against the backdrop of growing national recognition of his legislative career.
In 2026 alone, the Deputy Speaker has been named a recipient of three major national recognitions from The Sun, Daily Times of Nigeria and New Telegraph, recognising aspects of his legislative service and contributions to national development.
Those recognitions add another layer to the narrative emerging around his leadership.
At the constituency level, traditional rulers and community stakeholders are speaking about projects, visibility and representation.
At the national level, media institutions are recognising his legislative contributions.
The two narratives intersect at one point: leadership that has become increasingly visible beyond the immediate constituency.
The Road to 2027
With the consultations winding down, Kalu is approaching the next phase of his political journey with a significant political asset: direct feedback from the people he represents. The meetings have brought him face-to-face with the communities that constitute Bende Federal Constituency.
He has heard their commendations.
He has received their requests.
He has confronted their challenges.
He has seen erosion damage firsthand.
He has listened to traditional rulers.
He has engaged the clergy.
He has met youths, women, community leaders, vigilante groups, commercial operators and other stakeholders. And across these engagements, one recurring message has been support for continuity.
Orizu, SA Press Affairs to Deputy Speaker, writes from Bende
