Senator Orji Uzor Kalu represents Abia North Senatorial District in Nigeria’s Senate, under the platform of the ruling All Progress Congress (APC). In this interview he granted members of Senate Press Corps in the Senate on Tuesday, he among others said that South East Caucus has endorsed Tinubu for 2027.
Excerpts:
Qtn: Having endorsed Mr President by your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to run for president in 2027, am I right to say that the endorsement was done out fear of the upcoming coalition?
Ans: No! You are not right. I don’t think that a party like the APC has anybody to fear about. We are a ruling party. We are passionate about Nigeria. We love Nigeria. And that is why most of us are building industries all over Nigeria, for Nigerians to have jobs. So, there’s nothing like fear. The opposition are there. If the opposition doesn’t criticize us for the endorsements, who would they criticize? It’s their job to criticize, but it’s our job to do our job. And we are doing our job perfectly very well. And I hope that Nigerian people in the next few years will appreciate what Mr. President is doing.
Qtn: Regarding Mr. President’s visit to the Vatican City during the inauguration of the Pope, some persons are saying Mr. President, being a Muslim, would have delegated a Christian government official to go on that visit. What’s your opinion on that? Secondly, are the South East Senators following suit in the endorsement of Mr President?
Ans: Well, If you look at the dress I’m wearing, you will know what it is. This is the endorsement for President. My dress is perfectly tailored to that and the Southeast Caucus is fully in support. We have endorsed him about three or four weeks ago, even before any other person in any group. And I was there, chaired by the Governor Hope Uzodimma, co-chaired by the Governor of Ebonyi and Deputy Speaker. We were the first that warranted for the national endorsement.
We are going to be fair, absolutely to all Nigerians. And being fair to all Nigerians means, we recognize the rule of opposition. If those in the opposition don’t do what they are doing, I will not respect them. They must fight. That is why they are opposition. Should they go and sleep? The answer is no. They should be vibrant in fighting.
So, Mr. President couldn’t have sent any Christian person. Mr. President is a personal friend of the Pope. They met in Chicago, if some of you don’t know. And Pope personally invited him. And that is why he went. And it would be out of place, if Mr President disobeyed the Pope, and about 1.8 billion Catholics, including me. How can he disobey our Pope? It’s not possible. So, Mr President obeyed the Pope and and the Catholics wil well appreciate him for that obedience he gave to the Pope in 2027.
Qrn: Your Excellency, from your experience as an administrator, tell Nigerians what convinces you that the election of the President will be better for Nigeria?
Answer: Let me be honest with you. I’m a businessman. There is only a few things that isn’t not happening. The indices of Mr. President’s policy might not be walking down the line. People are still suffering. Yes, I agree that. But it started trickling in on the macro level.
That is, on the upper level, not on the lower level. So, I’m hoping that in the next 2-3 years, the policies of Mr. President will trickle down. And Nigerians will appreciate what Mr. President is doing. Since 1960, I’m not a psychophant. This is first President that stopped subsidy.
This is first President that merged the dollar, That is why we are suffering.
Because Nigerians are not used to working hard. We are used to getting cheap money. People sleep in their houses and use telephone and get dollar and sell it at very high rate. People sit in their houses and use their tank farms and collect paper and they make money. This is one President who has said, if you are ready to make money, make it the right way. If you are not ready to make money, you leave it.
So, I don’t think, moreover, they have to vote for him because, you see, President Tinubu is not going to be a President voted by the South alone. He will be a President that will be voted by North and South. And it’s also for the interest of everybody, both the North and the South, for Tinubu to come back. We don’t want this country to break.We want the country to continue to be our country.
I love the country. I’m a product of this country and I’m very proud that I’m a Nigerian. Many people are not proud.
You can see people cursing Nigeria abroad, talking about Nigeria abroad, saying bad things about their own country. It is not good, whether you are in opposition or you are in ruling party, it’s not good to curse your President or curse the country.
Tinubu is not the owner of this country and you journalists, know that. We are the owners of this country. The highest he will stay is eight years. After eight years, we take back our country. Buhari is in Daura now and, Tinubu will go back to Lagos in 2031. He will go back there. So what Nigerians should pray is for President to be in good health and have a long life to finish his tenure.
Qtn: Having been winning the best Senator award consistently, in 2027, what should your people, Abia North expect from you?
Ans: Well, it’s only you people know why you are giving me the award. The award is being given by you people. So, we are working. In 2027, we will be shifting our program. And once everything will not be roads and schools again, we will move totally to agriculture. We would like to see an agricultural policy, totally.
When I was a governor, every Abian, whether you are a civil servant or not all of them were in the farm. So, what I’m doing in Abia North you are giving me the award, was what I did as governor. It’s just Nigerians are hypocrites. They don’t tell the truth. They lie. If you’re opposition, speak the truth. If you’re in the ruling party, speak the truth. People are afraid of saying the truth and I’m not afraid of saying the truth.
So, for me, to work is part of my passion. You know, you must like people, love people before you can work for people. That is it. So, to me, if you go to our constituency, there are a lot of caterpillars there working and they are still working. Wherever they cannot work very well, my foundation augments. My foundation is putting a lot of money also in the constituency.
After the IDPR, in the northwest and northeast and everywhere, the next line of action the foundation is putting money is in schools and roads. We are doing a lot for them. So, for me, it’s a passion. I don’t need money to be, I don’t even have bank account. So, for me, it’s to spend everything I have to lift people up. All leaders must be prepared to lift people up.
Qtn: This attire is very fitting, will it be made available for other interested Nigerians?
Ans: People are wearing it. I’m not just the first person wearing it. Because you people have eagle eyes, that makes you to observe what I’m wearing. I’m wearing something for the president, our president, your president.
