By Damilola Samuel
Traditional rulers in Bende Federal Constituency, Abia State, have restated their commitment to a power-sharing agreement that could complicate Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu’s reported bid for a third term in 2027.
The monarchs, numbering more than 27, made their position known on Friday in Igbere, where they publicly presented a 2019 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) providing for the rotation of the constituency’s House of Representatives seat between the Umunna and Ikwu-Isii blocs.
Under the agreement, each bloc is to occupy the seat for two consecutive four-year terms before it rotates to the other. The arrangement began with Ikwu-Isii in the 2019 electoral cycle, leaving Umunna next in line under the pact.
Reading the document, Eze Ebiri Oteri Okoro of Ohumola Autonomous Community, Igbere, said the agreement was intended to promote fairness, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among communities in Bende.
The MoU states that the seat “shall rotate equitably” between Bende North, represented by Umunna, and Bende South, represented by Ikwu-Isii. It also calls on political parties to respect the arrangement during their nomination processes.
However, the document recognises the constitutional right of eligible citizens to contest elections and the right of voters to choose their representatives.
One of the agreement’s signatories, HRH Uwakwe Ukaegbu, Deputy Chairman of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, said the pact was reached in 2019 after disagreements over the continued representation of the constituency by Umunna.
According to him, tensions arose when former lawmaker Nnenna Ujaeje sought a fourth term, prompting concerns among Ikwu-Isii stakeholders that their bloc had been marginalised.
Ukaegbu said Kalu, who was then seeking election on the platform of Ikwu-Isii, welcomed the agreement and pledged to leave the seat after two terms if elected.
He said the public presentation of the MoU was intended to counter claims that no such agreement existed, challenging anyone disputing it to provide evidence.
The traditional ruler also urged aspirants and their supporters not to allow political ambitions to threaten peace in the constituency, saying the collective interest of Bende should take priority over individual calculations.
Speaking on behalf of the other monarchs, HRM Eze Joseph Ukoha Anyanta said the agreement was not designed to target any politician but to promote fairness and trust between the two blocs. He urged political actors to honour its terms.
Umunna comprises Item, Igbere, Alayi and Ugwueke/Ezeukwu communities, while Ikwu-Isii comprises Bende, Itumbuzo, Umuhu-Ezechi, Ozuitem, Uzuakoli and Umuimenyi/Nkpa.
The agreement does not legally determine the outcome of the 2027 election, but the monarchs’ renewed insistence on the rotation arrangement could become a point of contention as political activities gather momentum.
