Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC), has clarified his recent remarks regarding the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, which had sparked misunderstanding on social media.
In a video chat shared on his official Facebook page, Kalu addressed questions from journalists about his comments made last week, specifically regarding President Bola Tinubu’s sentiments about the political landscape in Abia.
Kalu explained that President Tinubu had expressed disappointment over the low support for APC in the state during the 2023 presidential elections, where the party garnered less than 4% of the votes. This starkly contrasts with the 68% support former President Muhammadu Buhari received in Abia North in 2019.
Kalu stated, “The president wasn’t happy with the amount of friends in our support. In Southeast, it is only in Igbere that President Tinubu has slept twice. He was baffled, for example, in 2019 when I joined the APC, President Buhari made 68% in our constituency and President Tinubu had only 4% in the entire Abia State. He wasn’t happy about the political numbers APC churned out in Abia.”
He clarified that his comments were not directed at the entire state but specifically at the underperformance of the APC as a party. Kalu expressed his shame over the electoral results, stating, “I was ashamed of the result and that’s why I am not forced to demand anything from the government, because I know we didn’t do well.”
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Kalu promised to lead efforts to improve support for APC, asserting, “I will be in the forefront to fight for us to do well. We will beg people of our State. They have seen the amount of things we are doing in the State.”
Kalu emphasised his commitment to restructuring the party in Abia, stating, “He [President Tinubu] gave me his words to go and reorganise the party in the State.” He reiterated the need for the Southeast, particularly Abia, to align with the APC, saying, “The southeast as a whole has to belong where other Nigerians belong.”
At the conclusion of the media chat, Kalu addressed speculation about his comments regarding Governor Alex Otti, clarifying that he had no intention of discussing the governor’s position. “I have never discussed past governors in public and I can never discuss Governor Otti in public. All the governors can only be decided by the people of the State,” he stated.
Kalu affirmed his dedication to rallying support for APC, assuring, “I am for APC, I am not for any other thing.”
