By Ukpai, Ukpai Eni PhD
As Governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007, His Excellency, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu built the infrastructural foundation upon which many communities still stand today. His administration was not about propaganda, it was about roads that connect people and schools that build people. In Ohafia LGA alone, the Asaga – Ndi Ibe Okwara – Amuma – Amangwu – Okon road which had been abandoned for decades before OUK, became a reality under him. That road opened up the entire eastern flank of Ohafia, linked farmers to markets and made Amangwu, Amuma and Okon accessible again. Beyond Ohafia, his government constructed and reconstructed roads and schools across the five LGAs of Abia North with an equity that no other administration after him has matched.
When Abia North sent OUK to the Senate in 2019, he did not go to learn, he went to lead. Within his first tenure, he rose to become Chief Whip of the Senate, one of the highest Principal Officer positions in the National Assembly. That position is not given, it is earned by ranking, influence and national acceptance. OUK used it for the people. In Ohafia, evidence abounds; The Isiugwu road, Ndi Uduma Awoke road, Akanu road and other critical internal roads that had collapsed under erosion and years of neglect were reconstructed through his intervention. These were not state government roads. They were direct federal government interventions through NDDC, Federal Ministry of Works and constituency projects attracted by a Senator who knew how the system works. The same story resonates in Arochukwu, Bende, Isuikwuato and Umunneochi. Classrooms blocks, renovated schools, solar street lights, erosion control interventions and youth empowerment programs, OUK brought the Federal Government closer to Abia North than at any other time in our democratic history.
Currently, Senator Kalu has continued to leverage his experience and networks to bring development to Abia North. In the Senate, ranking is an advantage. A ranking Senator sits on Grade A Committees, chairs strategic committees and determines where the national budget goes. A first-term Senator goes to the Senate to carry files for ranking Senators. This is the reality of legislative politics in Nigeria.
OUK’s ranking has given Abia North an advantage no fresh candidate can provide. These includes access to the Presidency, access to MDAs, and the capacity to attract infrastructural development beyond mere constituency allowance.
A few months ago, a small group of youths, clearly sponsored by desperate politicians whose only credential is blackmail, staged a protest asking OUK not to come to Ohafia again. That action was ill-motivated, politically immature and totally alien to Ohafia culture. Ohafia does not chase away her sons who bring development. The protest was not about non-performance; it was about fear; fear that OUK’s growing political status will make it impossible for failed politicians to return. Abia North must see through that deception.
The Nigerian Senate rewards longevity. Through experience OUK is undoubtedly one of the most ranking Senators in Nigeria. Ranking Senators become Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Senate Leader. That means Abia North moves from being a constituency to being at the center of national decision-making.
In an era where Abia North is battling severe ecological challenges like the Ohafia gully erosion that has sacked 11 villages, we need a Senator who can walk into the Ecological Fund Office, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Works and NDDC and be heard. OUK has done it before. A fresh candidate will spend the whole four years learning legislative business , which is obviously not what Abia North needs at this point in time.
Many of OUK’s projects are multi-year projects. Return of OUK guarantees their completion and prevents abandonment, which often happens when representation changes.
OUK is a global and national political figure with business and political reach across all six geo-political zones. His return to the Senate is not just about roads in the five LGAs, it is about keeping Abia North relevant in the national equation of power.
We can choose to gamble with an untested, fresh candidate who will need four years to understand the Senate, or we can consolidate on a proven performer whose roads and schools are visible in every LGA, whose position as former Chief Whip has brought us honor, and whose experience guarantees Abia North moves closer to higher principal office position in the National Assembly.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has earned a ranking mandate not by sentiment, but by performance and positive impact. Abia North should support him again, for stability, for leverage, and for more development. Abia North cannot afford to start afresh when we have an advantage at the top.
