When Facts Speaks, Propaganda Falls Silent: My Response to Iroham Ndubueze’s Distortion of History

By Emenike Okorie

My dear Iroham Ndubueze,

It is either your memory has failed you, or you have been misled by those feeding you false information. Your claim that I collected delegates’ money from Hon. Nnenna Ukeje is completely false.

When was I ever a delegate? Which primary election? Where did it happen?

I have never been a delegate in any party primary. If someone told you otherwise, then they deceived you, and you should verify your facts before making such reckless allegations.

On the issue of tenure, my position has never changed because it is founded on principle, not convenience. I did not support Hon. Nnenna Ukeje’s third-term ambition, and for the same reason, I cannot support Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu’s third-term ambition.

Ironically, Benjamin Kalu himself mobilized many of us to oppose prolonged tenure during Hon. Ukeje’s era. What has changed today? Is third term now acceptable simply because he is the beneficiary? Principles lose their value the moment they become selective.

Let us also not rewrite history. The same Benjamin Kalu many now portray as politically invincible contested against Hon. Ukeje twice and lost. It was only after Dr. Chimaobi Desmond Anyaso (Ofuji) defeated Hon. Ukeje in the PDP primary, thereby actualizing the zoning principle that power should return to Bende South (Ikwuisii axis), that Benjamin Kalu emerged as the eventual representative.

The only factor that worked against Ofuji in 2019 was that he and Hon. Ukeje came from the same political bloc. Otherwise, anyone who witnessed that election knows the extraordinary popularity and momentum Ofuji enjoyed across Bende Federal Constituency.

If Benjamin Kalu was fortunate enough to benefit from zoning in 2019, why should the same principle suddenly become irrelevant today? If zoning gave him the opportunity to rise to the office of Deputy Speaker, what logical argument suggests that Dr. Chima Anyaso cannot equal or even surpass those achievements if given the same opportunity?

Leadership is not measured only by titles held in Abuja. It is measured by the lives transformed at home.

Sadly, many Ndi Bende believe they lost their representative the very day Benjamin Kalu became Number Six in the House. His attention shifted increasingly toward national political ambitions while the pressing needs of his constituents received far less attention than expected.

Comparing Dr. Chima Anyaso with Benjamin Kalu is not difficult at all. One has consistently invested personal resources in scholarships, healthcare outreaches, youth empowerment, business support and community development without holding public office. The other has had years in public office with access to enormous public resources without benefiting his people.

The obvious question is this: Which of such humanitarian interventions did Benjamin Kalu undertake before occupying public office?

That difference speaks volumes about motivation. One sees politics as a platform for service; the other appears increasingly focused on political survival and personal advancement.

Ndi Bende are politically wiser today than many imagine. They understand that a representative seeking a first term has every incentive to prove himself through outstanding performance, while someone pursuing a final constitutional term may naturally approach it with far less electoral accountability.

You are perfectly entitled to support Benjamin Kalu. That is your democratic right, and I respect it.

But you have absolutely no moral or democratic authority to question my own decision to support Dr. Chimaobi Desmond Anyaso. That is equally my constitutional right.

I stand with the growing majority of Ndi Bende who believe that 2027 presents an opportunity to restore equity, renew purposeful representation, and usher in a new era of people-centered leadership.

The wind of change is blowing across Bende Federal Constituency, and no amount of propaganda or personal attacks will stop it.

Ofuji 2027: Ogadi Ka Oluebube!