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Tbe microphone said Tinubu. The crowd said Obi The humiliation at Item Okpi 1. There is something profoundly embarrassing about a politician returning to his ancestral home, armed with the authority of Abuja, only to discover that the people he claims to represent are no longer singing from his political hymnbook. 2. That was the spectacle reportedly witnessed today Nov 7, 2026 at the Item Okpi Festival in Abia State, where Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu @OfficialBenKalu attempted to sell President Bola Tinubu and the APC to his own people. 3. The gathering was meant to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Item people, bringing together sons and daughters of the community to honour their traditions, strengthen communal bonds and celebrate their identity. 4. But somewhere along the line, politics entered the arena. 5. As Kalu attempted to canvass support for Tinubu, voices reportedly erupted from the gathering. 6. "Obi! Obi! Obi! Obi!" 7. Someone apparently thought the situation could be rescued by playing the APC's familiar political anthem, "On Your Mandate We Shall Stand." 8. But there was a problem. 9. The mandate was being advertised from the speakers, while the people were chanting the name of another man. 10. And the more the political message struggled to be heard, the more embarrassing the spectacle became. 11. Kalu reportedly questioned whether those chanting were genuinely from Item. 12. There were also allegations that he invoked the proposed university project while confronting the dissenting crowd. 13. I hope he reflects on the significance of that moment. 14. One of the greatest tragedies of Nigerian politics is that politicians often become strangers to their own people the moment Abuja embraces them. 15. They forget the struggling trader, the unemployed graduate, the farmer, the family that cannot afford three meals. 16. They forget that representation is not merely occupying an office. It is understanding the lives of those you represent. 17. They become accustomed to convoys, protocol officers, government privileges and the artificial applause of political gatherings. 18. Then, once every four years, they return home expecting the people to have forgotten everything. 19. But the Nigerian electorate is changing. 20. The people are beginning to understand that a university is not a politician's personal gift, a road is not an act of generosity, and development is not a reward for political obedience. 21. These are obligations of government, funded by the people themselves. 22. What reportedly happened at Item Okpi should concern every Nigerian politician. 23. The chants at Item Okpi do not establish how everyone there will vote in 2027. 24. But it is a reminder that political loyalty cannot simply be commanded. 25. You may have the microphone, the convoy, the security and the title of Deputy Speaker. 26. You may even have Abuja standing on your mandate. 27. But when you return home, the people reserve the right to stand on something else entirely. 28. Ben Kalu went home to campaign for Tinubu. 29. If the circulating footage tells the full story, he returned with a lesson that no political appointment can teach. 30. You can rise to the highest offices in Abuja and still discover that your people are no longer following you. 31. And maybe the greatest lesson of all is this: 32. The people are not your inheritance. 33. Their votes are not your birthright. 34. And no politician, however powerful, can vote himself into office.