By Chimezie Godfrey
Immediate past speaker of House of Representatives and Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has urged stakeholders of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State to embrace peace and unity to entrench the party in the state and the south east in general.
He emphasized that unity was a sine qua non to achieving the lofty ideals of the party in the south east.
Gbajabiamila spoke, Saturday, when he received Abia APC stakeholders in his house on a thank-you visit on the election of Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu as the deputy speaker of the 10th House of Representatives and other Abia indigenes which included Rt. Hon. Nkiruka Onyejiocha, the incoming minister of State for Labour and Employment and Rt. Hon. Sam Onuigbo who was appointed a member of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) by President Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila who was surprised to see such a large turnout of leaders assured that the doors of the federal government under President Tinubu were open to them at all times.
He however enjoined the stakeholders to work assiduously to make APC the number one party in the south east, assuring that it will boost the fortunes of the region in no small measures.
Earlier in their separate remarks, the stakeholders through their leaders, Senator Adighije, Senator Nkechi Nwogu, the former minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Nwogu and a member of APC National Caucus, Chief Sam Nkire expressed gratitude to Gbajabiamila for facilitating Kalu’s election, the appointment of Onyejiocha and Onuigbo amongst others.
While applauding Gbajabiamila for mentoring Kalu, the leaders recalled with nostalgia that the mentorship started in the early days of 9th House of Representatives when the Chief of Staff as the then speaker gave Kalu the opportunity to move the first motion on during the plenary session.
The said it was no surprise that Gbajabiamila later appointed Kalu the spokesman of the House, a position, they said prepared him for his current office.
The leaders also appealed to the chief of staff to use his good office to attract more appointments for both the state and the region, pledging their loyalty to the Tinubu led government.
