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BENDE, Abia State — The political landscape of Bende Federal Constituency appears to be undergoing another major realignment, with Labour Party stakeholders increasingly projecting Dr. Chima Anyaso as the candidate around whom the party’s grassroots support could consolidate ahead of the next election.

The development represents a striking change in the political calculations surrounding Maazi Osisiogu, who, at various points, presented himself as one of the most formidable political figures in Abia State.

Longtime political observers in Bende recall a period when Osisiogu was known for a combative and highly theatrical political style.

One party source, reflecting on that period, recalled: “I remembered when he was going about with a cutlass on his waist like an Ohafia war dancer, boasting of being the biggest politician in Abia State.”

His political profile appeared to reach a high point during the last governorship cycle, when he publicly projected himself as a serious contender for the Abia governorship.

At one rally, he was quoted as asking his supporters: “Am I not handsome enough to be the governor?”

The remark reportedly drew enthusiastic cheers, while online supporters amplified his political message across social media. One prominent online commentator, popularly known at the time as “nwoke luxury city”, was said to have repeatedly urged Governor Alex Otti to “start packing his things because Maazi Osisiogu has come to take over.”

But the political momentum surrounding Osisiogu later appeared to encounter headwinds as attention shifted toward the Abia Central and Bende political calculations.

One particularly controversial development involved his relationship with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, popularly known as OUK, who had been associated with Osisiogu’s early political rise.

Members of Osisiogu’s online support network subsequently engaged in fierce exchanges with Kalu and his supporters on social media. Critics of the campaign argued that the increasingly hostile rhetoric risked damaging relationships within the political establishment.

“The databoys went berserk in calling OUK all kinds of unprintable names, while Maazi silently endorsed it,” a Bende stakeholder alleged. “When the dust settled, a lot of bridges had been burnt.”

The political equation became even more complicated as the governorship contest attracted multiple aspirants. Osisiogu eventually redirected his political ambition toward Bende Federal Constituency, obtaining the House of Representatives nomination form.

It was at this stage, according to Labour Party stakeholders in the area, that the political contest began to take a different shape.

Party leaders and supporters who spoke on the development claimed that grassroots structures and political support across the constituency have increasingly gravitated toward Dr. Chima Anyaso, the Labour Party’s candidate.

“That was the beginning of his problems, because the mandate has been handed over to Dr Chima Anyaso, the OFUJI ndị Bende ji eje mba,” Ogbonnaya, a Labour Party chieftain, told reporters in Bende.

The expression “OFUJI”, used as a local title of respect, is broadly associated with the person people are willing to follow or move behind.

Supporters of Anyaso say his profile as a businessman and philanthropist has strengthened his appeal among sections of the electorate, particularly through his community engagements and grassroots outreach.

For them, the contest is no longer simply about individual political ambition but about which aspirant can translate personal popularity into a sustainable constituency-wide political structure.

The shift has also altered the public image of Osisiogu.

A figure previously associated with political rallies and high-volume campaign rhetoric, he is now increasingly visible through social media content, church-related activities and community engagements.

“Since then, Maazi Osisiogu has turned himself to a content creator, chorister and even a babysitter,” the stakeholder said, in a remark that reflects the changing perception of Osisiogu’s public activities among his political opponents.

Whether the change represents a genuine decline in political influence or merely a different phase in Osisiogu’s political strategy remains to be determined by the electorate.

For now, however, Labour Party supporters in Bende are increasingly presenting Anyaso as the man around whom the constituency’s political momentum is building.

Among his supporters, one phrase has become a recurring slogan of the mobilisation: “Ọkụ gbawa everywhere.”

The expression is being used to capture what Labour supporters describe as the intensity of the current grassroots campaign for Anyaso.

As the political contest gathers momentum, the central question in Bende may therefore not be who has the loudest political voice, but who can convert political visibility, grassroots organisation and voter confidence into victory at the polls.