NEWS
BREAKING NEWS: Abia APC on the Brink as Benjamin Kalu’s Alleged Imposition Plot Sparks Rage, Defections Threat and Fierce Rebellion Over Eric Opah Governorship Rumour
By @TheKELVINATOR, The Eyes Opener News | May 08, 2026
Fresh political turmoil is tearing through the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State following growing allegations that powerful forces loyal to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, are pushing for a direct primary arrangement designed to handpick loyalists and tighten total control over the party’s 2027 governorship ticket.
The latest controversy has reportedly triggered widespread confusion, agitation and anger among party stakeholders, aspirants and grassroots members who now fear that the governorship race within the Abia APC may have already been secretly concluded in favour of individuals allegedly loyal to Benjamin Kalu’s political structure.
At the centre of the unfolding storm is the emerging indication that the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fortune Global Shipping & Logistics Limited, Chief Dr. Eric Chinemeucheya Opah, is being positioned by forces within Kalu’s camp as the preferred candidate to fly the APC governorship flag in 2027.
Dr. Eric Opah, a native of Mbubo, Umunna-Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area, is also a Board Member of the Nigeria-America Chamber of Commerce, an Associate Member of the Institute of Directors of Nigeria and President of the Eric Opah Foundation.
However, the alleged move has reportedly ignited fierce resistance within the APC, especially coming at a time when strong indications suggest that Benjamin Kalu himself may have quietly abandoned his widely advertised governorship ambition and instead opted to seek another return to the House of Representatives for a third term.
The shocking political twist has reportedly left many APC loyalists devastated after months of aggressive mobilisation, propaganda, consultations and public campaigns projecting Benjamin Kalu as the party’s strongest governorship hopeful ahead of the 2027 elections.
For months, supporters of the Deputy Speaker flooded political gatherings, media platforms and party meetings with loud declarations that Benjamin Kalu was preparing to lead the APC into a historic battle to reclaim Abia State.
Political structures were built, alliances formed and enormous resources allegedly committed by loyalists who believed the Deputy Speaker had fully prepared himself for the governorship race.
But the sudden indications that he may now be retreating back to the House of Representatives while allegedly attempting to impose a loyalist candidate have reportedly thrown the party into panic and internal rebellion.
Within several APC camps across the state, angry murmurs of betrayal, manipulation and political uncertainty are said to be growing louder, with reports suggesting that some stakeholders are already threatening to dump the party entirely if the alleged imposition agenda succeeds.
The crisis has further intensified following claims from insiders that the adoption of direct primaries may be strategically designed to weaken other governorship aspirants and consolidate control within Benjamin Kalu’s political camp.
Several party members are reportedly questioning why a governorship ambition that was loudly marketed to Abians for months suddenly appears to be collapsing behind closed doors.
The development has also reignited heated debates surrounding the expensive expression of interest and nomination forms allegedly purchased by loyalists and APC stalwarts who had championed Benjamin Kalu’s governorship ambition with confidence and excitement.
Political observers are now asking whether those forms and the entire governorship mobilisation project may eventually end up as another abandoned political experiment that consumed resources, divided the party and raised false hopes among supporters.
An aggrieved governorship aspirant within the APC, who spoke anonymously, reportedly warned that the party could face a major implosion if unpopular candidates are imposed on members ahead of the 2027 elections.
The source reportedly insisted that with Benjamin Kalu allegedly stepping away from the governorship race, other aspirants such as Mascot Uzor Kalu and Henry Ikoh should be allowed to test their popularity freely through a transparent primary process instead of what many now fear could become a tightly controlled political arrangement.
The anonymous source also alleged that resistance against Eric Opah’s rumoured emergence is already building rapidly within the party, claiming that several APC stakeholders are deeply uncomfortable with the political calculations allegedly being orchestrated behind the scenes.
According to the source, some aggrieved stakeholders have already begun consultations aimed at abandoning the APC should the alleged imposition plan continue unchecked.
The source further questioned Eric Opah’s grassroots political strength, insisting that many party members are worried about the electoral consequences of presenting a candidate they believe lacks broad popularity across the state.
As confusion continues to spread within the Abia APC, political tension is rapidly mounting over what many observers now describe as a dangerous internal power struggle capable of destabilising the party long before the 2027 governorship election officially begins.
With uncertainty surrounding Benjamin Kalu’s true political intentions and growing allegations of candidate imposition threatening party unity, the APC in Abia now appears trapped in one of its most explosive internal crises in recent times.