Crowd Chants Obi’s Name as Ben Kalu Campaigns for Tinubu in Abia

A campaign appeal by Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid was met with repeated chants of Peter Obi’s name at the Item Okpi Cultural Festival in Abia State.

The incident occurred on Saturday in Aba, where Kalu urged residents to support Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In a video circulating on social media, Kalu described Tinubu as the best candidate for Nigeria and appealed to the crowd to support his second-term ambition. However, sections of the audience responded by chanting, “Obi! Obi! Kererenke, Obi,” in apparent support for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The chants grew louder as Kalu attempted to counter them with the rendition of “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand”, a campaign song associated with Tinubu.

Addressing the gathering, the deputy speaker said the president had not neglected the South-East, particularly Bende and its surrounding communities. He urged residents to demonstrate their appreciation through their votes in 2027.

“You don’t want this university they want to build for you? President Tinubu has remembered us. He has remembered the South-East. He has remembered Bende. The only way to say thank you is to vote him for a second time,” Kalu said.

Despite his appeal, the crowd continued chanting Obi’s name, making it difficult to hear his remarks over the public address system.

Kalu subsequently appeared to question the identity of some of those chanting, saying, “These people are not Item people.”

The deputy speaker attended the cultural festival after participating in APC presidential campaign activities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He also promised additional development projects for the Item community, including classrooms, roads and health centres.

The incident comes as political parties and their supporters begin positioning ahead of the 2027 general election, with Tinubu seeking another term and Obi emerging as a potential challenger.