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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has said that the administration of All Progressives Congres (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will be more beneficial to the Igbo people.
Kalu, who spoke to journalists at the national assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday before the commencement of plenary, described Tinubu as a strategic leader.
The former Abia State Governor said that his decision not to support a candidate from the South East is not in any way personal.
He said:“Presidency is not a regional issue. I asked the political parties to zone the presidency to the South East. When they didn’t do that, and since the presidency is not a regional issue, I had to withdraw.
“I have no problem with the Igbo man being president, but we have to do it with other Nigerians. If we don’t do it with other Nigerians, it will not work, no matter how popular you are. It’s the president of Nigeria, not the president of Igbo land.
“I’m an Igbo man to the core. I’m also a Nigerian to the core. If anyone from the South East would have been nominated for the presidency, I would have been the one, so it’s a party business. I have no grudges against anybody who is running.
“So, it is not personal, it is political and party-based. This thing is about the party winning elections. I have chosen to be in APC, why will I vote against Tinubu? It’s madness, and I’m not going to do it. Elections go along party line, not along the tribal line,” he said.
Kalu, who represents Abia North in the senate, said he would wait for another time and see how all Nigerians would agree to zone the presidency to Igbo land.
“But for now, our presidential candidate is Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Tinubu is strategic, he will make his presidency beneficial to the Igbos. The Igbos will be the biggest beneficiaries of Tinubu’s presidency,” he added.
Revisiting the threats of some senators to impeach the president, Kalu said nobody is talking about impeachment.
“Not on this floor. President Buhari has done well in some areas and failed in some areas. The impeachment threat is mere gossip, it is not possible.
“I know that senators were agitating about insecurity and you can see that the security situation is improving. Generally, there is a daily improvement in security. We want to see the tempo being sustained. When the tempo is sustained, no senator will mention impeachment of the president on the floor of the Senate,” Kalu added.