Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR, has expressed firm confidence in the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, declaring it a 'done deal'.
Receiving the executive members of the Abia State City Boy Movement in Abuja on Monday led by its coordinator, Mayor Lucky Igbokwe, Kalu cited the administration's achievements and strategic youth inclusion as key factors guaranteeing a seamless victory.
He lauded President Tinubu as a 'youth-friendly leader' who has tapped into the nation's talent pool, welcoming the City Boy Movement as a vital partner in the upcoming electoral journey.
He said: "The beauty of this administration is the deliberate, intentional effort of the Grand Patron of City Boy Movement, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in picking talents among this demography known as the youth.
"Beyond the mandate of the City Boy Movement, he has exhibited his interest in raising a new set of Leaders for the future of Nigeria. If you take a good look at the composition of his team, the Ministers at the Federal Executive Council, you will find the best brains that he harvested from the youth population of our country, and I am proud to say that all of them are making us proud.
"It takes only a man who understands the picture of the Nigeria of tomorrow to begin to invest in the leaders that will take care of the tomorrow of Nigeria.
"Mr. President is thinking of legacy, not applause. This is the same man that against all advocacy that the youth do not have capacity to lead, deliberately invested in the youths because he understands they need to be part of the system so they can understand how to hold the baton before it's passed on to them. He is a believer in the youth. I am sure he is working towards making sure that young men come up the ladder. And that is what good leaders do.
"My message to the youth is that you have to be ready. Batons are not handed over to the ones who are sitting as spectators, only those who are in the race by making themselves available, present and ready that will receive the baton. That is what the President is looking for through this City Boy Movement.
"People think that City Boy Movement is about Mr. President's re-election. No, it is a platform for the selection of leaders that will lead this country in time to come. City Boy Movement is a platform across the country for harvesting talented youths of our party, that will handle responsibilities for the growth of this nation.
"As for 2027, it is a done deal. We will campaign with our policies and projects. For example, in the just concluded FCT Council election, we didn't go into that campaign with only jingles and posters. We went into that campaign with the physical work of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
"Wike's work was our campaign poster and jingles. We didn't have to struggle for television interview because the fact, they say, speaks for itself."
Kalu also said that his Renewed Hope Partners, a support group for the President is projecting the achievements of the administration to the hinterlands.
He added that he will partner with the City Boy Movement to actualize the set objectives.
"You are aware that about a year ago, I started the Renewed Hope Partners, as a platform to project the work of Mr. President. We have used it to mobilize great number of Abians.
"We are partnering with City Boy Movement. City Boy Movement in Abia state will be one of the best in the entire South East. I am going to embrace and support it", he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the Abia State Coordinator of City Boy Movement, Igbokwe said their mission is to seek partnership with the Deputy Speaker's Office in realizing their goals.
The highpoint of the visit was the handing over of the City Boy Movement flag and a face cap to the Deputy Speaker.
