Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has rejected calls for him to support the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, or any other Igbo politician contesting in the 2027 general election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Kalu made this known on Monday while responding to questions during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.

The former Abia State governor dismissed expectations that he should support Obi or other candidates contesting outside the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that his political loyalty remains with the ruling party.

The senator maintained that he had no reason to campaign for candidates belonging to other political parties, adding that he believes the political interests of the South-East should be pursued through the APC.

He said, “I’m not in the political party where they are contesting. Why should they call my name? I mean, they shouldn’t. Why should they call? No, they are just being idiotic.

“I was in PDP, I was in PPA, and my third political party is APC. So if I’m in this practice and you want me to go and support somebody in APGA, you must be sick in your mind. You must be dreaming.

“I am a member of APC, pure and direct. Yeah, leave me there. I don’t have any interest. If Igbos have interest, [and] they don’t want to pursue [it in] APC; that is their business. There’s no other place the interest will be pursued except where I am.”

Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has ruled out any plans to lobby President Bola Tinubu for the position of Senate President.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Kalu made this known on Monday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, where he said he was satisfied with his current position but would gladly accept the Senate Presidency if Tinubu offered it to him.

The former Abia State governor maintained that he would not approach the President to seek the position, stressing that he had never made such a request and had no intention of doing so.

“If I’m given Senate presidency in my house, I would take it. I’m not going to ask anybody for it. I’m very comfortable with what I do.

“I can’t say no if he (Tinubu) is the one giving me. Yeah, I would take the gift. But I won’t ask him for it. I have never asked him, and I won’t ask him for it,” he said.

Kalu, however, explained that his immediate priority was to continue serving in the Senate, making laws and preparing younger politicians to take over leadership from the current generation.

He identified God and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by President Tinubu, as his top priorities, adding that he had no personal political ambition at the moment.

“For me, I want to do what I’m doing. The first priority is God. The second priority is the leadership of our party. The leader of the party is President Tinubu. And thirdly, I have no ambition. If anything is given to me, I will take.

“Let me be honest with you. If you allow me in the near future, I will groom younger people to take over from us. I’ve always said that we must not sit in one place. You can be president any time if God says yes; you can be anything, anytime,” he added.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed concerns surrounding the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Yilwatda claimed that Christians who had been engaged by the party had expressed support for the arrangement involving President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

He also rejected suggestions that the Muslim-Muslim ticket would lead to the marginalisation of Christians under the APC-led administration.

According to him, Christians have continued to enjoy opportunities to express their views and participate in governance since Tinubu assumed office.

The APC chairman made the remarks on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Yilwatda explained that the major concern among Christians when the party adopted the Muslim-Muslim ticket was the possibility of their voices being suppressed.

However, he maintained that developments under the current administration had shown that Christians were still being heard.

He said, “Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket. The thought and the fear of most Christians was that the Muslim-Muslim ticket may suppress their voices, but their voices are heard loud and clear now.”

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged the ruling APC to face it in the 2027 general election rather than allegedly using judicial processes to frustrate its participation.

The opposition party insisted that Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their preferred political party through a credible electoral process.

The Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Austin Akobundu, made the position known while reacting to the reception accorded the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Sokoto State and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, in Kebbi State.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Akobundu said the large turnout of supporters during the visits reflected growing public interest in the ADC and the demand for an alternative political direction.

He also appreciated residents and party supporters in both states for coming out to welcome the party’s presidential hopefuls.

However, the ADC campaign director accused the Federal Government and the APC-led administration of attempting to prevent the opposition party from participating in the 2027 elections through what he described as a backdoor judicial process.

Akobundu challenged the ruling party to allow the ADC to participate in the elections, insisting that Nigerians should determine the outcome through the ballot.