Fraud: CUPP Asks Buhari, APC To Demand Kalu’s Resignation As Chief Whip

The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, Thursday said it was watching how President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC would react to the conviction of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu over a N7.2 billion fraud allegation.

The body said that given the insistence in the past by the president and the APC that former Chief Justice of the Federation, CJN Walter Onnoghen and former Senate President Bukola Saraki resign over allegations of corruption, the opposition body said it was now watching how they would react to the conviction as handed by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The coalition in a statement on Thursday said Kalu’s conviction had also made him ineligible to continue to hold office.

The coalition in the statement issued by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere said:

“President Muhanmadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress government  wanted Senator Bukola Saraki and Justice Walter Onnogen to resign from their positions of Senate President and Chief Justice of Nigeria respectively even when there was no conviction.

“The government based its demand then on the ground that there were allegations leveled against these two former top government officials and charges instituted against them in different courts.

“Now that the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, who is among the principal officers imposed on the Nigerian Senate by the Buhari-led APC government has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction based on corruption charges, we join Nigerians in watching to see what will happen to Kalu.

“Will Kalu, a convict based on the court’s verdict, continue to function as the Senate’s Chief Whip under a government who claims to be fighting corruption?

“Can the Buhari’s APC and the senators have the balls to ask him to resign as a principal officer while pursuing his appeal as an ordinary senator?

“Let us see if the Buhari’s corruption fight is just a weapon for hunting perceived opponents or a serious fight to restore honour and credibility to governance.

“We are fully aware that the man has a right to appeal his conviction. Also, we are not asking that they ask him to resign as a senator as he has a right to stay until his appeal is concluded.

“What we are asking is if the Buhari’s APC can pressure him to step down as a principal officer of the Senate and continue pursuing his appeal to clear himself.

“As Orji Kalu goes to prison today, will he take the office with him to prison under a government that claims to be morally upright or will be getting injunction pending appeal etc?”

Kalu was on Thursday convicted on a 39 count charge of fraud, money laundering among other crimes.

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