APC Kalu endorsement crisis warning as Abia chieftain says early backing of Ben Kalu could divide party ahead of 2027 polls
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Abia State, Agwu Emeaba, has warned that the endorsement of Benjamin Kalu for the 2027 governorship race could trigger a serious internal crisis within the party.
The crisis warning was issued in a statement released in Umuahia on Sunday, where Emeaba described the move by stakeholders across the three senatorial districts as divisive and potentially damaging.
Emeaba argued that endorsing a single aspirant without allowing an open contest risks deepening existing fractures within the party and undermining its electoral prospects.
“APC is walking into the 2027 cycle with an early but dangerous tension for a possible implosion,” he said.
The warning also highlighted concerns that the development had sidelined other aspirants, including Chief Mascot Kalu and Chief Henry Ikoh, both of whom are considered strong contenders.
Emeaba questioned whether Kalu’s growing national profile necessarily translates into the capacity to unify a party still seeking consolidation in Abia State.
He further alleged that key party figures had been excluded from consultations, including Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, warning that such actions could weaken party cohesion.
“That kind of political amnesia, if left unchecked, does not build a party. It weakens it,” he said.
The chieftain urged the State Working Committee to intervene swiftly to prevent the situation from escalating into a full-blown crisis ahead of the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, Chief Mascot Kalu rejected the endorsement outright, describing any consensus arrangement that excludes other aspirants as illegitimate and unacceptable.
He warned that any attempt to impose a candidate would face strong resistance, signalling rising tensions within the party.
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The unfolding development points to a potentially volatile pre-election period for the APC in Abia, as internal disagreements threaten party unity.
