2023 Nigeria Decides
Kalu, Yari Plot New Alliance Against Akpabio In Senate Leadership Race
Senate Chief Whip, Sen Orji Kalu, says he is in talks for possible alignment with the Senator-elect, Abdul’aziz Yari’s camp for the position of 10th Senate Presidency against the proposal of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC for the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as Senate President.
Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District, stated this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
The lawmaker, who said he would not step down for anybody, added that he was mulling an alignment with Yari’s camp.
“Well, I cannot step down for anybody. Yes, you are right. We are talking with Yari.
“Our group and his people are talking. We are in intimate partnership and talking to make sure that no one zone can produce a senate president.
“Like I used to tell you, no one zone can produce a president for Nigeria.
“It’s the same thing for senate president. What we are trying to play with Sen. Yari is a united partnership that works for Nigeria,” he said.
GWG.ng reports that the APC had endorsed Akpabio for Senate President and Senator Barau Jibrin as his deputy, a proposal that the Kalu and Orji alliance is now threatning.
Kalu further stated that in the coming days and weeks, those partnerships would be unveiled.
“You will see what the partnership looks like. We are in serious talks. Yes, I cannot deny it. Yari is a friend of mine and I’m his friend, and we decided to talk together.
“We have been talking for the past four weeks and the talks will be unveiled by our sponsors.
“He (Yari) has his sponsors and I have mine. So the sponsors will come together to decide what direction this partnership will go,’’ he said.
Kalu, a former governor of Abia, said he would be very happy to follow what the sponsors would say, adding that Yari also would be happy to follow what the sponsors would want them to do concerning the Senate leadership.
“We are two gentlemen; both of us are not hitting the nail. We are only thinking of the integrity of the senate and to support President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima who are our colleagues.
“If you, press people, are thinking that what happened during Saraki will also happen now. No, it will never happen again in Nigeria’s political life.
“We remember we cited a section of the law that there must be two-thirds of the senators before you are sworn in.
“Few people sitting somewhere and making decision on who become the senate president is no longer functional.
“What is functional is for all of us to sit together and decide on who gets what.
“It’s a game; it’s a contest, and we will congratulate whoever wins. If we win, let people congratulate us; if other people win, we will also congratulate them.
“They are our colleagues. We will be together in the next four years in the chamber. We are not enemies; it’s a contest,” he said.
Kalu assured that the 10th senate would not disappoint Nigerians.
“We are not going to disappoint Nigerians. We are capable of representing ourselves. Whether Yari-Kalu or Kalu-Yari, we will not disappoint Nigerians,” he said of their Senate plans.
“We will give Nigerians what they want. We will support the Federal Government and Nigerians will not be disappointed,” he said. (NAN)
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