_…declares support for Kalu’s leadership style_
The candidate of the Labour Party for the Bende Federal Constituency election, Hon. Frank Chinasa, has put a final end to his case against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
Hon. Chinasa, who made this known at a press conference on Friday, said his decision is born out of “brotherly love and sheer understanding of our common root and patrimony-the Bende heritage.”
Recall that Rt Hon. Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the February 25th poll after garnering 10, 020 out of the 22, 308 votes cast.
The Labour Party flagbearer subsequently approached the National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital to challenge Kalu’s victory
But the tribunal in its ruling on August 22, 2023, delivered a judgment upholding the declaration of the Deputy Speaker as the winner.
And Chinasa says he has decided to end any further lawsuits and pledge allegiance to Rt Hon. Kalu.
He said: “I am here to inform the world that I am no longer interested in taking the matter any further beyond the tribunal. This simply means that I have decided to let go of the case.
“Kalu and I have a history that has run into decades which cannot be ruined by the transient political activities of today. First, we are brothers from Bende. Second, we are good friends and third, we intrinsically share the same objective of good representation of our people.
“At this juncture, it must be unequivocally stated that my decision to run for this election, ab initio, was to give our federal constituency the quality representation that it deserves, judging from the poor and under-representation that has bedeviled it over years.
“But here comes a young man who in his first term tried to elevate the fortunes of the constituency. And now is the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. The number 6 citizen in the political hierarchy of this great country.
“I have come to reason that if highly revered people, elders from our State, the southeast region, and indeed, Nigeria will celebrate Ben and applaud President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the entire members of the Green Chambers of the National Assembly for giving Ndigbo such a position, why then, should his immediate brothers from the same constituency be seen to be the ones pulling him down? This does not make any sense in any conceivable way!
“But then, let this not be misconstrued to mean that my going to the tribunal was wrong in the first place. No! I want to categorically submit that it was well within my democratic and constitutional rights and privileges. And even Ben should understand that. What now matters is that we have eventually allowed wisdom and brotherly love to win.
“Of course, I already know that many quarters will feel jolted and offended by this decision. I hereby appeal to all men of goodwill with saner democratic credentials to understand that if even I win the matter in court, I may not possibly become the deputy speaker. The import of this is that I would have wasted a golden opportunity for Ndi Bende, Ndi Abia, and Ndigbo as a whole. Besides, let’s not also forget that ultimately, God gives power.”
