Former Governor of Abia State and senator-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that his political party, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), cannot stop him from contesting for the office of Deputy Senate President.
The 8th Senate led by Senate President Bukola Saraki is holding its valedictory session today, June 6, 2019 and new principal and presiding officers would be elected next week in both chambers of the national assembly.
The offices of Senate President and Deputy Senate President are often decided by the governing party and Pulse understands that the APC has long settled for its candidates for the positions.
It is also clear from the rotational arrangement currently on the table that Kalu, who hails from the Southeast region of Nigeria and who would represent Abia North in the senate, is not one of his party’s preferred candidates.
Kalu is having none of it
However, the senator-elect told ChannelsTV during a breakfast program that he is willing to go against the party’s directive for purposes of equal and fair representation.
“Let me be honest with you. Even if the party asks me not to run, I will run on the floor of the House, this is one position I have to run for because you cannot leave the Southeast alone, you can’t leave them behind,”
Kalu said.
He restated that in line with the doctrine of federal character, leaving the Southeast out of the current power equation would be detrimental to his party.
“We are in the process of doing the right thing and the East will be given a place in the scheme of things. I am asking that the East should be given the Deputy Senate President. There is a high level of discussions about that,”
Kalu added.
Pulse had reported that the APC has settled for the duo of Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North) and Femi Gbajabiamila (Surulere 1) for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
Pulse also revealed in March that the APC has zoned the Senate President position to the Northeast region of the country and the Deputy Senate President office to the Northwest region, all of which effectively rules out Kalu who hails from the Southeast.
At the time, Kalu had kicked against the arrangement.
“I am a very loyal party man. The party has zoned the senate presidency position to the North-East and I want to respect the party’s will but the second position is what we are not going to allow to leave the Southeast”, Kalu had said.“I am not going to listen to the party neither will I listen to anybody. Nobody that wants to be the Deputy Senate President is more loyal than I am to the party”,
he had added.
Party supremacy
The APC continues to remind its members about the supremacy of the party as the race for offices in the 9th national assembly attains fever pitch status.
The APC continues to remind its members about the supremacy of the party as the race for offices in the 9th national assembly attains fever pitch status.
“Members of the APC are allowed to ventilate whatever their views are, because that is democracy. So, whatever decision we take at the end of the day, would be after you have been given ample opportunity to exercise your right. But at the end of the day, party supremacy sets in”,
APC spokesperson, Lanre Issa-Onilu said.
Disregard for the supremacy of the party led to the election of Saraki as Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President and Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of the House in 2015.
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