Aba Cultural Festival Disruption: Item Community Condemns Action of Mischief Makers, Apologises to Deputy Speaker Kalu

Item Development Association (IDA), Aba Branch, has condemned the disruption that occurred during the speech of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu at the Item Cultural Day. The community also dissociated the entire Item community in Aba from incident while apologizing to the Deputy Speaker. The festival was held at the Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Aba, on Saturday. Item is a large community in Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State which has three out of the 13 electoral wards that made up the constituency. The people, resident in Aba had invited the Deputy Speaker who represents the constituency at the National Assembly to the occasion. Determined to honour the invitation, the Deputy Speaker who had spent the full day in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the APC Presidential Campaign rally went straight to the Aba. In a statement, the IDA categorically condemned the unruly conduct of a few persons at the event and sincerely regretted the embarrassment it caused the Deputy Speaker. The statement was jointly signed by the Chairman, IDA Aba Branch, Chief David Kalu Uduma and the Secretary, IDA Aba Branch, Mr Sunday Peter Iroegbu. They regretted that the cultural event was politicised, insisting that those who engaged in the political chants were not Item people. “The leadership of Item Development Association (IDA), Aba Branch, on behalf of the entire Item community in Aba, wishes to dissociate itself from the unfortunate incident that occurred during the speech of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Ph.D, CFR, at the Item Cultural Festival held at the Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Aba, on Saturday, 7th November 2026. “We categorically condemn the unruly conduct of a few persons, which we consider the handiwork of mischief makers, and sincerely regret the embarrassment it caused. “The people of Item are peace-loving, cultured and respectful of constituted authority. Such conduct does not reflect our values or represent the character of our people,” the statement said. The association also tendered an unreserved apology to the Deputy Speaker and deeply appreciated what it described as his statesmanlike disposition in the face of the unfortunate incident. “We therefore tender our unreserved apologies to the Distinguished Deputy Speaker and deeply appreciate his statesmanlike disposition in the face of the unfortunate incident”, the statement added.