The Chief Whip of the Senate arrived to a "Heroic reception" staged in honour of him by his constituents at Igbere Wards B, C (Amankalu), and A on Saturday as Senator Kalu progressively draws to a close his ongoing 2023 re-election campaign trip.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer, who is from the suburb of "Igbere" in Bende LGA of Abia State in Abia North, received a warm welcome in each ward and was showered with "praises" from his fellow citizens for making them proud by serving as the senator who represents the Senatorial District at the National Assembly.
The former governor of Abia recently started a campaign tour to inform his constituents in all 103 ABSIEC Wards of the importance of his candidature for the Senate. All of Kalu's supporters, from all socioeconomic levels, have endorsed him and called his first term "Superlative."
They claim that the APC has benefited them during Kalu's leadership, and they say they will support its candidates in the elections on February 25.
They claimed that the lawmaker exceeded their expectations and that his return was essential to build on the series of infrastructure projects that he had facilitated in the area.
The arrival of Kalu energised the already ecstatic audience that had gathered and was eagerly anticipating him in all the wards. The Abia State Public Complaints Commissioner, Maduka Ukaegbu, the Executive Secretary of the OUK Foundation, Rev. Mrs. Jemimah Ola Kalu, Chief Smart Ukoha, Hon. Chukwuemeka Izuka, and Hon. Paul Uche were among the members of Kalu's entourage.
Excited attendees of all ages crowded around Kalu as he sauntered into the venue flanked by his entourage, some of whom were dancing and chanting his praises. The disc jockey's music and the hundreds of Kalu's relatives, dressed in vibrant outfits with his pictures and slogans supporting his senatorial campaign, lit up the atmosphere of the venues.
The prestigious awards given to Kalu during his three years in office by reputable organisations were hailed by community stakeholders in "Igbere Ward B" as a source of "pride" for their neighbourhoods. Elder of the village Chief Peter Igwe spoke on their behalf, stating that they were fortunate to have Senator Kalu as their son and that the awards were genuine testaments to his historic contributions to constituency development.
The election of Kalu as the senator from Abia with the most legislation introduced was celebrated in "Igbere Ward C," where his supporters praised the lawmaker for the accomplishment despite this being his first term in office.
Speaking on behalf of the people, Prime Minister of Amankalu Ezeogo Kalu Awa recalled how Kalu, who had 25 legislative bills pending in his name, had been rated best in bill sponsorship using the 2019–2022 cumulative legislative as displayed by Nigeria's parliamentary multimedia platform OrderPaper.ng. In addition to expressing his support for Kalu, Ezeogo said that they would make sure that all of their votes would be cast in his favour. He was praised for setting the example and making his community proud in the Senate.
When Kalu arrived in his very own "Igbere Ward A," he was praised for carrying out commendable projects, which were deemed to be a continuation of his enormous advances as the state's governor. The Lawmaker is a rare treasure and benefit to the community and the country as a whole, according to the community's chief, Chief Obike. U.E. (Ichie Obudo).
Obike praised Kalu for his accomplishments, which included building 2–5 km rural roads throughout the five local governments in Abia North, renovating schools and hospitals, giving students access to educational materials, and giving out more than a thousand sewing machines, power tools, and motorcycles to farmers and artisans.
Through voice voting, the community supported Kalu's candidature for re-election to the Senate in a similar way to how it has done in prior Wards.
The installation of a 500KVA transformer, the building of a rural road at Smart Ukoha Avenue in Igbere, the construction of AVM Chukwu Road, the building of Amankalu Umuobasi Road in Igbere, the building of Elele Road in Igbere, the building of the Rev. Ekike Eme Educational Center in Onu Ibina, the building of a community hall in Umuisi, and a number of other projects are
Other attendees included traditional leaders, top party officials, clergy, the president of the Igbere Welfare Union, and youth and women's organisations.
In a prior statement, Kalu assured his supporters that even better was still to come, emphasising that what they saw as his exceptional actions were only the tip of the iceberg for him. In exchange for their approval, Kalu said that more agricultural tools, schools, and roads would be made available as soon as he returned. He also thanked them for their support and the lavish welcome they gave him.
During the election, Kalu informed his people of the rules and urged them to show up early and peacefully at the polling places. He instructed them to place their index finger next to his party's broom logo on the voting paper to cast their votes.