Kalu insists Buhari must mediate Oshiomhole, Oyegun face off

Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo, Lagos

Senator – elect for Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu on Friday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the rift between the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie – Oyegun and the incumbent, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Kalu said Buhari’s intervention has become imperative to avoid any drift in the ruling party.

Speaking in an interview with reporters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on his way to Abuja, the former governor said President Buhari should call the feuding party chieftains to order to avoid further bickerings capable of eroding the gains of the party in the last elections.

While commending Buhari for prevailing on Senator Danjuma Goje to step down for Senator Ahmed Lawan as candidate for the Senate Presidency, Kalu said such rapprochement was critical to ensuring the party speaks with one voice on such a fundamental matter.

He said: “What they are doing is part of democracy. Democracy must not agree and that is why it is democracy. Democracy is a collection of all opinions.

But, we have called on Mr. President based on the way he settled the Goje matter, for us to be able to call them. If the President occasionally intervenes in this kind of issue, we will not be having problems.

“In PDP, there are bigger problems, but they intervened and settled the matter. Before the President will tell you, I don’t want to play politics, but he is the chief politician.

I think the President has started changing his mind to be able to be intervening in cases like that. I am sure we will sort out Oyegun and Oshiomhole’s problems by next week.

“I am sure Mr. President is already doing something on that matter. And I want to make it clear; people should not be misleading people by saying what the President did not say. I advise that Nigerians should not be misleading the public with what the President never said.”

Kalu advised APC members to desist from using the name of Buhari to entrench their personal and selfish interest, saying presently many politicians were using the President’s name to pursue causes that Buhari has not endorsed.

He said his endorsement of Lawal as President of the Senate was driven by deep convictions about Lawan’s capacity to push for robust leadership that will deepen the political and economic space for the prosperity of Nigeria and Nigerians.

While restating his clamour for the position of deputy Senate President to be ceded to the South East region, the senator-elect said such a move is godly, morally correct and fits the sense of equity, balance and justice.

Kalu added that his insistence for the position to be zoned to the South East is not about himself, but ensuring geo – political balance, adding that “I am not only restating it, but I am saying that it is the most godly thing to do because I am ready to do that job to help both the Senate in law- making and help the executive to be able to bring stimulus that would fix the economy.

“I am interested in the economy because if we get the economy right, the security will be addressed. I think a hungry man is an angry man. So we need to also be looking at candidates that have capacity to do the work. And I have capacity to do the work. I have the capacity of managing human beings and the Senate is about human management.”