Enemies of Tinubu after Ben Kalu says Nto

A former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Abia State, Dr Philips Nto has accused those who want to truncate the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as being behind the accusations of academic fraud against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu.

He wondered why it was only now that there is a glimmer of hope for Tinubu and APC to secure victory in Abia state as a result of Ben Kalu’s hard work that these accusations were surfacing.

Kalu is being accused of having gone to law school at the same time he was doing his national service, two programmes that should run separately. The deputy speaker has since denied the allegations.

But Nto, a former Provost of Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu, said the allegation was part of an elaborate strategy orchestrated by the opposition to distract and weaken Kalu in his avowed determination to ensure that Tinubu wins Abia State.

” This is a man who was chairman of Bende local government. He has been a commissioner. He had even gone to the House of Representatives before. How come it is now that he is campaigning vigorously for Tinubu’s reelection that they are coming up with these rubbish? “he quarried.

Nto noted that in all the political offices held by Ben Kalu, he was duly screened by the relevant security agencies and cleared only for the enemies of Mr President to target him seeing that he is the face for the reelection of Tinubu in Abia state.

He described as unfortunate and irresponsible the targeting of Ben Kalu for this obnoxious smear campaign, saying it has betrayed the desperation of the opposition.

According to him, ” this is all politics and a worn out political strategy of targeting the strongest link in the Campaign. But they have failed woefully because if it was any malfeasance, the security agencies would have noticed the same all these years. ”

Nto described Ben Kalu as an asset not only to APC and his constituents but the entire Abia State.

” In the annal of political representation in Abia state, he is exceptional. Apart from attracting two federal universities to Abia State, the Hon Deputy Speaker has been paying special attention to the existing federal university, which is Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike ‘, he said

The former World Bank economic consultant also pointed to the major developmental initiatives undertaken in the whole of Abia State without concentrating on his Bende federal Constituency.

He also noted that Ben Kalu has empowered many sons and daughters of Abia State irrespective of their political leanings and regretted the smear campaign by those who are afraid of his rising political profile.

He, however, advised the federal lawmaker not to be distracted by the smear campaigns but focus firmly in driving the moving vehicle for the reelection of President Tinubu.