2027: “Chima Anyaso Is My Son. No Father Abandons His Child” — Eze Anyanta

2027: “Chima Anyaso Is My Son. No Father Abandons His Child” — Eze Anyanta

By: Nduka Anyim, Igbere

The palace voice rang out with finality on Saturday.

HRH Eze Joseph Ukaoha Anyanta, the Traditional Ruler of Ibinaukwu Autonomous Community, Enyi Ezeji Ibinaukwu Igbere I, stood before a cheering crowd at Onu Ibima, Igbere Junction, and drew a line in the sand ahead of 2027.

His choice: Dr. Chima Anyaso of the Labour Party.
His message: loyalty, memory, and a promise kept.

“Chima is my son,” the monarch declared, his voice carrying across the gathering. “And no father will abandon his son at the time his son needs him most. For this election, this is his time. Nothing can stop it.”

*“We Had An Agreement”*

Eze Anyanta did not mince words about the incumbent. He directly addressed a publication he said was sponsored by the camp of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, claiming the royal father had pledged support for a third term.

He called it a lie.

“How can I support someone for a third term,” he asked the crowd, “when I was there in 2019? When the Traditional Rulers sat together and agreed that after eight years, Benjamin Kalu will give way for someone from Umunna?”

The Eze said he is not a man of “two mouths.” His stand, he insisted, is rooted in conviction and in the political arrangement elders of the area had already sealed.

*A Reception That Moved The Candidate*

Dr. Anyaso, visibly moved, thanked the Eze and the Council of Chiefs for the rousing welcome.

“I must confess I am surprised by this kind of reception,” he said. “If I am not a good son of this community, I don’t know why I would receive this kind of love.”

But gratitude quickly turned to a plea for healing. The Labour Party flagbearer recalled recent tensions in Igbere, alleging that some visitors came into the community with soldiers and assaulted residents.

“Never again,” he vowed. “I have heard that our brothers and sisters were flogged. That must not repeat itself. I plead with all those who are angry to forgive, and let us embrace peace.”

He accused those currently in power of taking Igbere’s mandate for granted.
“Since our people gave them power, it has been insult upon insult. We will take the power back,” Anyaso said to loud applause. “What happened in Igbere a few days ago will not repeat itself again.”

*“2027 Is My Time”*

For Anyaso, the 2027 Bende Federal Constituency race is more than politics. It is destiny.

“I have been saying 2027 is my time and they think I am joking,” he told supporters. “Come 16th of January 2027, it will be clear to their eyes.”

The visit ended the way it began — with community. After his speech, Dr. Anyaso joined hundreds of Igbere sons and daughters in a solidarity procession from Igbere Junction to the Community Square, waving to residents who lined the streets.

For Eze Anyanta, the message was simple: blood, agreement, and the future of Bende.
For Dr. Anyaso, it was affirmation.
For 2027, the battle lines in Bende just got clearer.