Less than 48 hours to the inauguration of leadership
positions in the ninth Assembly, some political leaders in Abia State have
kicked against the aspiration of former Governor of the state, Orji Uzor Kalu,
to become deputy Senate president.
The political leaders, under the aegis of Concerned Abia
Leaders, at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday premised their stance to reject
Kalu on the corruption allegations dangling on his neck.
The group, speaking through its National coordinator, Uche
Okoroafor maintained that although the position is meant for the South-east, it
will mobilise with full force for other South-east senators jostling for the
position other than Kalu who is being tried for a N7.65bn fraud by the
anti-graft agency.
The former Abia State governor, who was elected Senator to
represent Abia North in the February 23 elections on the platform of All
Progressives Congress (APC) had vowed to contest the position whether his party
zones it to South East or not.
The position of deputy Senate President has been zoned to
South South by the APC, where it, however, endorsed Senator representing Delta
Central, Ovie Omo-Agege.
However, Kalu at different fora said he had the backing of
different groups in the Senate and across the country to become deputy Senate
President in the ninth Assembly.
But dismissing Kalu's claim, Okoroafor described Kalu's
ambition as a "joke taken too far," saying Nigerians and
Senators-elect "should not be deceived by faceless groups" who
endorsed Abia senator last week.
"Our attention has been drawn to the scandalous
ambition of the former governor of Abia state, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and his
purported endorsement by some faceless and rented groups for the office of
deputy Senate president of the 9th Senate.
"Ordinarily we would have ignored this prison-bound
former governor, knowing his notorious antecedents, but for the sponsored
publicity, this "dead on arrival" project has attracted so far.
"We see his ambition as another jokes taken too far and
we make bold to ask our most respected senators-elect to reject this former
governor and his scandalous ambition in order to save the 9th Senate from
another controversial beginning," Okoroafor said.
The group alleged Kalu that he has already doled out huge
amount of money (Dollars) to prosecute his ambition, calling on other senators
to be wary of what can drag ninth Senate backward.
The group stated, "The office of the deputy Senate
president is not for sale, and cannot be handed over to a person or persons
with dubious intentions, God forbid!
"The time to save the Senate from a scandalous
beginning is now. The revered office of the deputy president of the Senate
should not go for the highest bidder as in the thinking of the former governor.
It's a job for sound mind and patriotic leaders without blemish.
"We expected the former governor to be more concerned
with his celebrated N7.6Billion fraud charge levelled against him by the
Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and prepare himself to join his
Plateau state counterpart senator, Joshua Dariye in Kuje prison.
"Our own former governor Kalu whose own crime is more
monumental, is busy renting more groups and persons to sing his endorsement for
the post of the deputy Senate president. Only last week, a cross section of
rented Arewa youth was reported to have endorsed him for the job.
"The former governor was alleged to have dole out
several billions on naira in the execution of this project. The former governor
has never hidden his desperate desire to grab this job and he's desperately
doing it in his own way as he boldly said in a recent outburst.
"We ask our distinguished senators-elect to shine their
eyes. We cannot afford to make another mistake that will drag the name of the
Senate to the mud. We want to also use this medium to advice the people of Abia
North, Abia state, and indeed the national Assembly to be wise and say no to a
notorious fraudster."
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