Residents and community leaders in three wards in Uturu, Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, on Saturday defied a heavy downpour to receive Senator Orji Uzor Kalu during his ongoing ward-to-ward consultation and engagement tour across Abia North Senatorial District.
Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, visited ABSU Umuanyi Ward 10, Achara-Mbaugwu Ward 7 and Mbaugwu Ward 19, where residents, community leaders, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Reality Organisation, OUK Movement and other support groups gathered to interact with the former Abia State governor.
The engagements also provided an opportunity for constituents to express support for Kalu’s bid to return to the Senate in the 2027 general elections.
Despite the heavy rainfall, residents remained at the venues throughout the engagements, with speakers commending Kalu for various infrastructure and human-capital interventions they attributed to his representation of the district since 2019.
The constituents also used the meetings to present fresh demands, particularly the need for additional accessible roads and schools across the communities.
Speaking during one of the engagements, Hon. Damian Igbokwe commended Kalu for what he described as visible development in the community, while appealing for more interventions.
“I am standing here today not because of any political affiliation. Orji Kalu is our party; anywhere he says we shall go, we will go, because we trust him that he will never lead us astray,” Igbokwe said.
He also thanked the senator for projects and educational interventions, including scholarships and opportunities for young people to study outside the country.
“Let me thank you, Most Distinguished, for all the works that you have done. Your works speak for themselves. They are not what you use your mouth to tell people; it is a matter of ‘go and see’,” he said.
Igbokwe appealed for more projects in the area, adding that the people had expressed their support for Kalu and President Bola Tinubu.
The ward engagements formed part of Kalu’s broader consultation across the five local government areas that make up Abia North—Arochukwu, Bende, Isuikwuato, Ohafia and Umunneochi.
The senator has previously said his ongoing engagements are intended to enable him to assess the impact of constituency interventions and receive direct feedback from residents. His office also recently directed supporters to focus on his record and avoid attacks or exchanges involving other candidates in the 2027 senatorial contest.
Responding to the residents, Kalu thanked them for turning out despite the rainfall, stressing that the exercise was not simply a political campaign.
“I am very grateful for your turnout. For me, this is more than a campaign; it is about the project and ward tour to know the impact of what we have done and what more can be done,” he said.
According to the senator, leadership should be centred on service and improving the living conditions of the people.
“Leadership is all about service and nothing else. The end goal of politics is to see that our people have better lives by providing them with the basic needs they need to thrive as a community,” Kalu said.
He acknowledged that although his primary constitutional responsibilities as a federal lawmaker are legislation and oversight, he had also pursued constituency interventions in response to the needs of his constituents.
“Though I am a lawmaker whose major duties are to make laws and conduct legislative oversight, I have gone beyond that. I have heard all the areas of concern, and we shall add to what must be done,” he added.
Kalu said the concerns raised during the ward meetings would be considered in planning further interventions across the communities.
He also urged residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, arguing that another term would enable the administration to extend its policies and programmes from the national level to communities.
The senator’s ward-to-ward tour comes as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections intensify across Abia North. Recent reports indicate that Kalu has been using the consultations to engage traditional rulers, community leaders and constituents while highlighting his record of representation and constituency projects.
