Senate Presidency: Kalu, Yari Form Alliance

As the race for the 10th Senate Presidency hots up, the senate chief whip, Orji Uzor Kalu has revealed that himself and Abdulazeez Yari have formed an alliance.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had endorsed Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin as Senate President and deputy Senate President, respectively.

But when journalists asked him whether he has quit the contest of the 10th Assembly Senate President, Kalu said what happened during Saraki is likely to happen as himself and Senator Yari are discussing who should be the Senate president and the deputy Senate president.

“I can’t step down for anybody. My group and Yari group are talking. No one zone can produce the president of the Senate.

“The partnership will be unveiled. We are in talks and we have decided to be talking. That talk will be unveiled by our sponsors. Yari and I will be happy to follow what our sponsors decide,” Kalu said.

According to the senate chief whip, even though they are yet to decide who will be the senate president and deputy senate president, in a couple of days, this will be made public.

“We are not looking for what to eat, we just want to support Tinubu to succeed,” Kalu said adding that, “If people think what happened during Saraki will not happen again they are dreaming.

“We will congratulate who wins and if we win, they should congratulate us,” Kalu said, adding that whoever wins, they will have to support him because in the next four years, they are going to be sitting in one chamber.

On why he has kept such an ambition secret for some time, Kalu said, “We have the largest press but we decided to go underground. We will unveil our plans on June 13, 2023. Whether Yari-Kalu, or Kalu-Yari, we will not disappoint Nigerians,” he said.

On the swearing-in of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the president of Nigeria, Kalu said he was happy the country transited to another civilian government without rancour.

“Tinubu should look into abandoned projects. He should look at the Ajaokuta Steel Company, the Jos Flour Mill Company and many other abandoned projects.

“Nigeria has over 11,000 abandoned projects which are taking over our debt servicing,” Kalu said, adding that ministries and parastatals that are no longer viable should either be scrapped or merged.

“The Niger Delta Ministry should be scrapped. NDDC should function because it is not supposed to report to the ministry,” Kalu said, adding that Nigerians should be happy they have Tinubu.