By Eni Kalu, PhD
There is an old lesson in politics which the people of Ohafia understand very well: when a relationship has produced results, you do not throw it away simply because another election has arrived. In 2027, Ohafia will have choices to make. There will be speeches, promises, posters and new political alliances. Some will tell us that it is time to try something new. But elections are too important to be reduced to experimentation. Before we abandon what we know for what we have not tested, we must ask ourselves a simple question: has Ohafia benefited from having Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in the Senate? For me, the answer is an emphatic yes.
The relationship between Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Ohafia did not begin in 2019 when he was first elected to the Senate. It did not begin because another election was approaching. It is a relationship that has been built over decades, across generations of Ohafia leadership, through friendship, politics, community engagement and mutual respect. Indeed, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is not a stranger to Ohafia. He holds the revered traditional title of Ikenga of Ohafia, a recognition that speaks to a relationship much deeper than contemporary electoral politics. Those who know our recent history should remember his relationship with virtually all our prominent sons and leaders over the years. Chief Awa Kalu, SAN; Chief Umeh Kalu, SAN; Bishop Michael Kalu Ukpong, the late Victor Anya Udo; late Chief K. K. Owen; the late Chief Okwara Osonwa; the late Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai, Rev. Dr. Ukpai Ukpai.
Others include Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, the current Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu who was doing water drilling business for him alongside Anaga; late Dr. Kalu Uke Kalu, Emeritus Prelate NN Eke, Late Ojo Maduekwe, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, Engr. Ogbugo Ukoha, Dr. Ori Obasi, Barr. Udo Udoma, Barr Emeka Kalu, late Udumaeze of Ohafia, Ujurueze Ebem, Umu Ejima, and a host of other respected Ohafia leaders all belong to different generations and backgrounds, yet Orji Uzor Kalu maintained relationships across these circles with mutual respect. That tells a story.
Look around the political class in Ohafia today. Which serious political actor can truthfully say that he has never enjoyed a good relationship with Orji Uzor Kalu at one point or another? That is the kind of person he is. Is it with the dominant Presbyterian Church of Nigeria or the Catholic Church? Yes, OUK was very instrumental to the building of the All Saints Cathedral Elu Ohafia, a project another Igbere man in Late Most Rev. Dr. James Ukaegbu pleaded with him to support. You see, Ohafia is better off with an Igbere alliance instead of those that would constantly remind us of how richer they are. It is going to be a dangerous gamble trusting those that hate us with the senatorial seat of Abia North. It is a position they seek to humiliate Ohafia Udumaeze. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s friendships have never been restricted to one political tendency in Ohafia. He has interacted with our people across parties, communities, age groups and political interests. He belongs to an Age Grade in Ohafia. Political disagreements may arise, as they inevitably do in a democracy, but it would be difficult for anyone familiar with Ohafia’s political history to argue convincingly that Orji Uzor Kalu does not have genuine affection for Ohafia and its people.
A few political actors may have attempted at different times to weaken that relationship or create the impression that a gulf exists between him and Ohafia. That is politics. Elections naturally create disagreements, ambitions and temporary alignments. But those who know the history of this relationship understand that political differences should not be confused with the deeper bond between a man and a people who have known each other for decades. The record matters more than political rhetoric. Anyone travelling through parts of Ohafia today can identify federal interventions facilitated during Orji Uzor Kalu’s representation. Roads including Abia Road, Akanu Ukwu Road, Isiugwu Road, Ndi Orieke Road, have featured among projects associated with his representation.
Consider Ndi Orieke. For years, the road cried for attention. Political seasons came and went. People complained and waited. Eventually, construction commenced through a federal intervention facilitated by Orji Uzor Kalu. Someone outside Ohafia may see another road project. The people who actually live there understand its significance differently. The farmer thinks about moving produce. The trader thinks about getting to the market. The elderly person thinks about easier movement. The young person sees his community becoming more accessible. Development becomes meaningful when it enters people’s everyday lives. Education tells a similar story. Community Primary School, Amaekpu Ohafia; Ndi Uduma Awoke Primary School; Isiugwu Community School, Amuma, Ndi Ibe, Akanu and other schools have benefited from educational interventions associated with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s representation. Pupils have benefited from educational materials and other forms of support. Our youths are enjoying different international scholarships through him. These things may not dominate national television, but the child sitting inside an improved classroom understands their importance.
This is why 2027 should be a comparison of records rather than a competition in promises. Put Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s record on one side of the table and put the alternatives on the other. On one side is a man whose relationship with Ohafia predates his Senate ambition; a traditional title holder in our community; a politician who has interacted with generations of our leaders; a senator who understands the National Assembly; a former Senate Chief Whip; an experienced federal legislator with established national relationships; and, most importantly, somebody whose constituency projects can be physically identified. On the other side could be a newcomer asking Ohafia to abandon all of that and start afresh. There is nothing wrong with being a newcomer. Every experienced politician was once new. But a senatorial seat is not where a constituency should casually conduct political experiments.
A newcomer must learn the institution. He must build relationships. He must understand the budget process. He must develop influence. He must learn how to navigate the competing interests of the National Assembly. He must establish the networks necessary to translate representation into results. Orji Uzor Kalu has already crossed those bridges. Why should Ohafia voluntarily return to the starting line? The Latin expression res ipsa loquitur means “the thing speaks for itself.” In this case, the record speaks. We can disagree about politics and personalities, but a completed road does not belong to an argument. A rehabilitated classroom cannot be wished away because another election has arrived. Democracy should also involve a form of quid pro quo, not in any improper sense, but in the basic understanding that political support should produce responsible representation and representation should produce value for the people.
Ohafia has supported Senator Orji Uzor Kalu over the years. He, in turn, has not treated Ohafia as politically disposable. That relationship should not be taken for granted. Before anybody asks Ohafia to abandon Orji Uzor Kalu in 2027, that person should answer some questions. Who knew our communities before needing our votes? Who maintained relationships with our leaders when there was no election? Who respected Ohafia when political circumstances changed? Who has something already completed to show the people rather than another catalogue of promises? And who among today’s political actors can genuinely claim that Orji Uzor Kalu has never extended a hand of friendship to him? These questions matter because election-season affection is cheap. Genuine political friendship is tested over time.
Imagine a farmer who has spent years cultivating a tree. The tree has taken root and is producing fruit. Someone suddenly arrives carrying a new seed and tells the farmer: uproot your tree and plant mine because one day it may produce something better. A wise farmer will ask questions. How long will the new seed take to mature? What evidence do I have that it will produce better fruit? Will it survive? And, most importantly, why must I destroy a productive tree before discovering whether an untested seed can grow? That, in many respects, is the choice before Ohafia. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is no longer asking Ohafia to believe merely in what he might do. There is a record to examine. A new entrant will largely be asking us to believe in what he intends to do. There is a considerable difference between the two.
Ohafia should also understand the value of legislative ranking. Across successful democracies, constituencies often retain effective legislators because experience creates institutional influence. Nigeria’s National Assembly is no exception. Seniority, relationships, committee experience and understanding of the federal budget process can strengthen a legislator’s capacity to advance the interests of his constituency. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has served in the Senate since 2019. Throwing away that accumulated experience without a compelling reason would mean asking Abia North to begin building political capital again from the ground up. What exactly would Ohafia gain from that? This does not mean that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has solved every problem confronting us. Certainly not. Ohafia needs more roads, jobs, healthcare facilities, electricity, water, educational investment, economic opportunities and greater federal presence. Indeed, that is precisely why continuity deserves consideration. If a foundation has already been laid, wisdom suggests building upon it rather than demolishing it because somebody else wants to become the builder.
Ad maiora — towards greater things. That should be our thinking. If Ohafia has benefited from his first two terms, we should be discussing what more can be extracted from the experience, ranking and national reach of another term. When 2027 arrives, many things will happen. Convoys will enter Ohafia. Politicians will suddenly remember village roads they have not travelled in years. Hands will be shaken. Meetings will be held. Promises will multiply. Some who have shown little regard for our people outside election periods may suddenly become the greatest lovers of Ohafia. Our people should listen to everyone. That is democracy. But we should also remember. Remember the history. Remember the friendships.
Remember Chief Umeh Kalu, SAN, Chief Awa Kalu, SAN, the late Chief K. K. Owen, the late Chief Okwara Osonwa, the late Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai and the many Ohafia leaders whose relationships with Orji Uzor Kalu demonstrate how far back this bond stretches. Remember that political disagreement today cannot erase decades of association yesterday. Remember the roads. Remember the schools. Remember the interventions. And remember that the Ikenga of Ohafia did not discover Ohafia because he needed another four years in Abuja. There will always be politics. There will always be those who attempt to create cracks where political advantage can be gained. But temporary political battles should not be allowed to rewrite history. None can reasonably argue that Orji Uzor Kalu is not a lover of Ohafia and its people.
For me, the choice is therefore not complicated. Ohafia is better served by strengthening a relationship that has produced tangible benefits than gambling its political capital on an untested alternative. We are better off demanding more from a ranking senator who already knows our people, understands our communities and has demonstrated his capacity to attract projects than beginning from zero with someone still trying to understand the road. In politics, as in life, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Sometimes wisdom is simply recognising what you already have, protecting it and demanding that it produces even more. For Ohafia, Orji Uzor Kalu represents that opportunity. And when the time comes in 2027, I believe our people will remember.
Eni Kalu, PhD, writes from Maryland, USA.
