Traditional rulers in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State have thrown their support behind Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s bid to return to the Senate in 2027, citing his constituency engagement and interventions across Abia North.
The monarchs made their position known on Thursday during an interactive meeting with Kalu as part of his ongoing legislative ward tour of the Abia North Senatorial District.
The engagement brought together members of the Isuikwuato Local Government Area Traditional Rulers Council, led by HRM Eze Faraday Chinekwe, Chairman of the Isuikwuato Traditional Rulers Advisory Council.
During the meeting, Kalu reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining regular contact with traditional institutions and ensuring that community leaders and their constituents are connected to government-backed development and empowerment initiatives.
The senator assured the traditional rulers that he would continue to visit the council whenever he was in the constituency, while promising to include monarchs and their communities in forthcoming grant programmes and other development initiatives.
The traditional rulers, in response, commended Kalu’s engagement with grassroots stakeholders and his legislative interventions, expressing collective support for his return to the Senate ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development comes as Kalu continues to facilitate access to the Federal Government’s Conditional Grant Scheme for nano businesses across Abia North.
The programme, implemented in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), commenced in Bende Local Government Area and is being extended across the five local government areas that make up the senatorial district. Recent reports put the beneficiaries at hundreds, with each receiving ₦50,000 to support their businesses.
The intervention is part of the Federal Government’s grassroots economic empowerment programme and complements Kalu’s stated human-capital and constituency development initiatives.
Beyond the grant programme, Kalu has also sponsored more than 50 students for further academic studies and capacity-building programmes, including opportunities for studies abroad, while his constituency interventions have extended to infrastructure, education and agriculture.
The senator has repeatedly emphasised his focus on constituency development ahead of the 2027 elections. In July, he said his continued support from the people and the APC would inspire him to sustain what he described as “effective representation, people-centred legislation, and impactful development projects” across Abia North.
Kalu has also recently directed his media team, supporters and political associates to focus his re-election campaign on his record of representation, legislative performance, infrastructure and human-capital development, while avoiding attacks on rival candidates.
The Isuikwuato engagement provided an opportunity for discussions around economic empowerment, grassroots development and the role of traditional institutions in connecting communities with government programmes.
Kalu’s ward tour is expected to continue across Abia North, comprising Arochukwu, Bende, Isuikwuato, Ohafia and Umunneochi Local Government Areas, as he seeks to deepen engagement with constituents and traditional institutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
