Deputy Minority Leader Of 9th House of Reps, Okechukwu Now CoS To Deputy Speaker – Kalu

The Deputy Minority Leader of the 9th House of Representatives, Hon Toby Okechukwu, a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is now the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the Deputy Speaker of the 10th Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

Kalu is representing the people of Bendel Federal Constituency of Abia State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Okechukwu was one of the leading voices in the opposition against the APC and its policies in the 9th assembly and was a member of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign council of the PDP ahead of the February 25, 2023 General Elections.

Even though the appointment is yet to be officially announced by Kalu, who is yet to announce the appointments of any of his political appointees owing to several interests, some of the staff are already carrying out such responsibilities in acting capacities.

However, Hon Okechukwu is already addressing himself at several fora as the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Deputy Speaker Kalu.

More significantly, some of the documents authored and signed which were sighted by Forefront News clearly shown the name of Okechukwu as the CoS to Kalu.

Okechukwu is yet to give a convincing reason behind his addressing himself as the CoS to the Deputy Speaker but, there are indications that the former deputy minority leader might have tactically defected to the APC without making it public.

It was also gathered that since Okechukwu returned bid to the House was jeopardized by the Labour Party movement in the South East, he may have seen the appointment as a way out political limbo to be able to keep himself busy.

In the meantime, the Deputy Speaker, Kalu has maintained a studied silence over the appointments of his political appointees unlike the Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas that has made public the appointment of his aides.

The development has led to a situation in which some of the supporters of Kalu and others who worked for his emergence as Deputy Speaker have been working surreptitiously in his office in different capacities.