As the political optics in Abia state prepare to take shape, Mascot Kalu, the younger brother of former governor Orji Kalu, has bought the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidacy and declaration of interest forms for the upcoming 2027 Abia State governorship election.
Mascot took up the forms in Abuja on Tuesday, announcing his desire to run in the 2027 election. The politician paid N40 million for his nomination cost and N10 million for his expression of interest charge, according to two receipts seen by the Nigerian newspaper, dated April 28, 2026.
Mascot’s declaration of interest is now being interpreted as the beginning of a showdown between who will eventually control of the state under the All Progressive Congress, if the party unseat incumbent governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party as Benjamin Okezie Kalu, who currently is in a power struggle with Uzor Kalu, Mascot’s elder brother, also has plans to contest for governorship.
Orji Kalu and Benjamin Kalu
Recall that ENigeria Newspaper reported that both Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu and former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, have claimed that President Bola Tinubu instructed them to lead the All Progressives Congress, or APC, in the state. Both had issued statements that were uploaded on their official Facebook accounts almost at the same time.
While Okezie Kalu believes that he is “the highest ranking political office holder” in the state after Gov. Alex Otti, Orji Kalu says he should be in charge because he is “the most senior Governor in the state.
As of right now, ENigeria Newspaper affirms that it is unclear who has been chosen to head the state’s party.
