Hundreds of youths staged a protest in Umuahia on Monday, demanding that Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu step aside from elective politics to make way for younger leaders in Abia North Senatorial District.
The demonstrators, who marched through the Abia capital, also endorsed Dr Phillips Nto as their preferred candidate for the Abia North Senate seat.
They argued that Nto would provide more effective representation than the incumbent.
The protesters converged on the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat on Azikiwe Road, where they submitted a protest letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu through the state APC chairman.
In the letter, the youths expressed dissatisfaction with Kalu’s tenure, accusing him of poor representation and alleging that he had reduced them to “modern-day slaves.”
The letter was signed by Dr Uchenna Akpi, Mr Kingsley Olugu, and Mr Vitals Igbokwe on behalf of three groups: the Old Bende Political Forum, Abia Youths Christian Assembly, and Abia North Young Professionals for Tinubu’s Mandate.
The groups urged the APC leadership to deny Kalu the senatorial ticket for a third term, describing his representation as “abysmal” and calling for what they termed the “Ayade treatment.”
“Because we are not a conquered people, and because we believe in the peaceful exercise of our democratic rights, we respectfully appeal to you, sir, as the leader of our great party, to intervene and ensure that Orji Uzor Kalu is not given the senatorial ticket for a third term,” the letter read.
The youths alleged that Kalu had treated Abia North as a personal fiefdom, often boasting that the Senate seat was his to keep.
They also claimed that federal appointments under the APC government had been channeled to him and his immediate family.
They questioned the senator’s bid for a third term while his younger brother is also seeking the APC governorship ticket in the state.
The protesters asked Tinubu to “liberate” them from what they described as Kalu’s political stranglehold by ensuring that Nto receives the party’s ticket for the senatorial election.
They described Nto as “one of us” who understands the challenges facing the people and is better positioned to address them.
They cited his background as an academic, administrator, and grassroots mobiliser as reasons he is suited for the role.
Receiving the protesters on behalf of the state APC chairman, Chief Uche Aguoru, the Publicity Secretary, pledged to forward the letter to the appropriate authorities.
Aguoru announced that the APC in Abia would adopt a direct primary system for selecting candidates and assured all aspirants of a level playing field.
He urged the youths to remain peaceful and mobilise support for their preferred aspirant.
Efforts to reach Kalu’s office for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
