Benjamin Okezie Kalu is the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the most senior South-East member of the APC in the National Assembly. A lawyer, he represents Bende federal constituency in Abia State and chairs the House committee reviewing the 1999 Constitution.1

Early life and education

Kalu was born on 5 May 1971 in Agbamuzu, Bende, Abia State. He studied law at the University of Calabar, was called to the Nigerian bar, and holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University and a master’s in law specialising in terrorism and international humanitarian law. He has since completed doctorates at the University of Abuja and the University of Calabar.1

Early career

He served as transition chairman of Bende Local Government, adviser to two Abia governors, Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji, and president of the PDP’s diaspora chapter.1

House of Representatives

Elected for Bende in 2019, Kalu was spokesman of the 9th House. He was re-elected in 2023 and became Deputy Speaker on 13 June 2023, alongside Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.1

As chairman of the Constitution Review Committee he leads the House side of the current round of amendments. He was a prominent supporter of the law creating the South East Development Commission, which President Tinubu signed in July 2024, and he convenes the Peace in the South East Project, which seeks non-military responses to insecurity in the region.12

Abia politics

Kalu is a leading figure in the APC’s effort to win Abia State, governed since 2023 by Alex Otti of the Labour Party. He drew criticism for saying the APC must unseat Otti in 2027, and he has said he tried and failed to persuade Otti to join the APC. Supporters urged him to run for governor and he hinted at a bid,34 but in May 2026 the APC chose the businessman Eric Opah as its Abia governorship candidate.5

Personal life

Kalu is married with five children.1

References

  1. Benjamin Kalu. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

  2. Reps Deputy Speaker commends Tinubu for signing South-East Development Commission bill. AllAfrica, July 2024. ↩

  3. I’ve exhausted efforts to ensure Otti’s APC return — Reps deputy speaker, Kalu. The Guardian Nigeria. ↩

  4. Abia 2027: Kalu hints at governorship bid, pledges to unveil decision soon. The Guardian Nigeria. ↩

  5. Opah, Galadima, Salihu, Wadada win Abia, Adamawa, Kwara, Nasarawa APC guber tickets. ThisDay, 23 May 2026. ↩