…Says l’ll not be let down by my people

The Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu has said that the achievements of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike in the FCT would be the selling points of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming Area Councils election.

The Deputy Speaker, who is the Secretary of the FCT Campaign Council stayed this after the inauguration of the Committee.

The Committee, which is made up of 138 members is being chaired by the governor of Kwara State, Abdulraham Abdulrasaq.

Kalu speaking to journalists on the line of South East votes in the FCT election said it us already assured that the residents of Igbo in the FCT would vite APC candidates in the election.

As the most senior person holding elective office from the southeast, what strategy do you have to convince Igbo community resident in Abuja to vote for the APC?

Kalu responding to the question on how his membership in the campaign council would help yo attract Igbo votes in the FCT Council election, he said, “Thank you very much.

“Like you mentioned, there are a lot of Igbo people living in Abuja. Just as there are other people from other parts of the country also residing here because the FCT is the melting point of the entire population of Nigeria from all geopolitical zones.

“But, like you rightly pointed out, a lot of Igbos are living here to do business and also to make their investments as residents.

“I am an Igbo man and also a Nigerian and I’m part of this government. I’m one of the faces of Igbos in leadership. So no longer can Igbos say we are not part of the administration.

“This did not happen in the previous administration. If you look at the succession leadership of the country for eight years, there was no Igbo person there. Now they see me every day, participate in the governance of this country.

“And I know that is a big message to my people, that they are not alienated, that they are not marginalised out of the current government. That is a campaign tool already for this administration.

“But suffice to say that this administration has made a huge impact in the FCT. Under the government of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there is a great difference from what it used to be and what it is at the moment.

“And I want to also thank the Minister Wike, who has done tremendously well in not just impacting the urban areas of FCT but making governance to be felt even at the grassroots.

“These are our campaign tools. That is what we are taking to the market. We are taking beyond posters. We are taking beyond radio jingles. We are taking beyond campaign slogans into the FCT.

“We are saying the fact speaks for itself. You can feel our development. You can touch and experience what we have brought as dividends of democracy.

“So there is going to be less job for us to do.Yes, we struggled in the time past because there were no visible evidence of the impact of the government within the FCT. But no reasonable person can say the same thing currently.

“So we are here to convince our people that the government that has done this for the people of the FCT and the residents that they are charged to do more if given the opportunity to provide leadership in the six area councils of this FCT and in the 68 council membership of the FCT, we are ready.

“I am the secretary of this campaign council and I can assure you that we will bring the energy of the young minds, the innovative mindedness of the young people to push the agenda to the grassroots.

“We will be on the streets.We will be in every household. We will go door to door, business to business to sell the message of APC.

“It will no longer be mentioned that APC lost election in Abuja.That was in the time past. We are about to rewriting the history.

“My people that I love so much, the people, my Igbo people that I love and who loves me will not allow me to be ashamed knowing fully well that I’m at the helm of affairs to make sure that the bulk vote of the Igbo communities in Abuja that we harvest them for the greatest party within the black race that is called the APC.

“So I am ready to bring my brothers. If you look around, you will see a lot of my brothers are joining the City Boy movement. Renewed Hope Partners, Renewed Hope Ambassadors. All of them we are going to come together, collaborate to make sure we deliver the FCT.”