Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu (left ) met with Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) in Abuja. Photo: Deputy Speaker 's Media Office
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has met with ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to strategise on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
The meeting focused on grassroots mobilisation, voter sensitisation and youth engagement, with particular emphasis on consolidating the ruling All Progressives Congress ’ support base across the South-South and South-East geo-political zones.
Kalu, who doubles as the Deputy Director-General, South II, of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, held the meeting with Tompolo, convener of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, following the commissioning of the movement’s national secretariat in Abuja on Friday.
The engagement also explored a joint operational framework for coordinating campaign activities at the ward level across states under the South II Directorate, as the APC intensifies preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, Kalu described the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement as a critical platform for the president’s re-election campaign, stressing that electoral success would depend largely on sustained engagement with voters at the grassroots.
According to him, the campaign would take the administration’s message directly to Nigerians in their homes and communities.
The Deputy Speaker said President Tinubu had taken bold, reform-driven decisions that were stabilising the economy and securing the country.
He added that the campaign would ensure the Renewed Hope Agenda reached every doorstep, describing the alliance with Tompolo as strategic to the mobilisation effort.
At the commissioning of the movement’s national secretariat, Kalu had highlighted some of the administration’s policies and programmes, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which provides financial support to eligible students pursuing higher education, and the establishment of regional development commissions.
He also expressed appreciation to Tinubu for assenting to the South-East Development Commission Act, describing it as a significant step towards addressing reconstruction, infrastructure and development needs in the region.
“As a representative of Bende Federal Constituency, I particularly appreciate President Tinubu’s assent to the South-East Development Commission Act, an important step towards addressing reconstruction, infrastructure and development priorities in our region”, Kalu said.
The South-East Development Commission is intended to provide an institutional framework for coordinating development interventions in the region, which has long sought greater attention to infrastructure deficits and reconstruction needs.
Kalu commended Tompolo for providing the initiative, commitment and resources required to establish the movement’s national secretariat. He urged members to expand their grassroots structures and mobilise support across the country’s 774 local government areas and 8,809 wards ahead of the 2027 elections.
He charged the movement to take its activities to communities across the country, while ensuring that its mobilisation efforts reflected the principles of democratic participation and responsiveness to citizens’ concerns.
“Nigeria benefits when citizens can exchange ideas peacefully and participate in public life with confidence and dignity,” Kalu said.
The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement is part of the wider pro-Tinubu mobilisation effort ahead of the 2027 elections, with its grassroots strategy aimed at translating political support into voter engagement at the ward, household and polling-unit levels.
The meeting between Kalu and Tompolo brings together two eminent figures operating in different regional constituencies in support of the president’s re-election bid, with the South-South and South-East identified as important areas for the APC’s campaign outreach.