10th Senate Presidency: I’m in talks with Yari’s camp – Orji Kalu

Senate Chief Whip, Orji Kalu, has said he is in talks for possible alignment with the Senator-elect, Abdul’aziz Yari’s camp for the position of 10th Senate Presidency.

Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District, stated this during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

A former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio and a Senator representing Kano North, Barau Jibrin are the preferred choice of President Bola Tinubu for the senate president and deputy senate president.

Also in the race is Osita Izunaso, the senator-elect for Imo West.

Kalu, who said he would not step down for anybody, added that he was mulling an alignment with Yari’s camp.

“Well, I cannot step down for anybody. Yes, you are right. We are talking with Yari.

“Our group and his people are talking. We are in intimate partnership and talking to make sure that no one zone can produce a senate president.

“Like I used to tell you, no one zone can produce a president for Nigeria.

“It’s the same thing for senate president. What we are trying to play with Sen. Yari is a united partnership that works for Nigeria,” he said.

Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, is the senator-elect for the Zamfara West senatorial district.

Kalu further stated that in the coming days and weeks, those partnerships would be unveiled.

“You will see what the partnership looks like. We are in serious talks. Yes, I cannot deny it. Yari is a friend of mine and I’m his friend, and we decided to talk together.

“We have been talking for the past four weeks and the talks will be unveiled by our sponsors.

“He (Yari) has his sponsors and I have mine. So the sponsors will come together to decide what direction this partnership will go,’’ he said.

Kalu, a former governor of Abia, said he would be very happy to follow what the sponsors would say, adding that Mr Yari also would be happy to follow what the sponsors would want them to do.

“We are two gentlemen; both of us are not hitting the nail. We are only thinking of the integrity of the senate and to support President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima who are our colleagues.

“If you, press people, are thinking that what happened during Saraki will also happen now. No, it will never happen again in Nigeria’s political life.

“We remember we cited a section of the law that there must be two-thirds of the senators before you are sworn in.

“Few people sitting somewhere and making decision on who become the senate president is no longer functional.

“What is functional is for all of us to sit together and decide on who gets what.

“It’s a game; it’s a contest, and we will congratulate whoever wins. If we win, let people congratulate us; if other people win, we will also congratulate them.

“They are our colleagues. We will be together in the next four years in the chamber. We are not enemies; it’s a contest,” he said.