10th Assembly: Give us something reasonable, Orji Kalu advocates for southeast

The Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged the stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to allow the South-East region get something reasonable in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

The former governor said this in a statement on Thursday while adding that the APC with 59 Senators-elect, does not have an absolute majority in the 109-member Red Chambers.

He added that the South-East deserves “something very reasonable” other than deputy speaker.

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The Senate Chief Whip said, “Vote is not a measurement. We had a hurricane in our zone. We need one another and not the level of votes cast. Those who did not vote for the party today can vote for the party tomorrow if they are properly aligned. After all, we have made progress.

“Before, we used to be one or two senators but it is no longer so. This thing did not only happen in the South-East. Many people from areas where the presidential candidate came from voted along certain lines. I appeal to you people that you must cede something very reasonable to the South-East.

“I am happy the national chairman, deputy national chairman, and national secretary are former senators. You know we are going to do a secret ballot on the floor of the Senate, we will vote according to our conscience. You people have done it before and we will do what you have done in the past.

“So, it is better, we settle properly as 59 senators of the APC. The difference is not much. If you count three or four of us out, you are losing votes already and we have the capacity to get more from the other side and from our colleagues in the party,” he said.

But there are reports that the Northern senators, especially those elected on the platform of the APC, have threatened to revolt against the party if the controversial zoning template for leadership of the 10th National Assembly was not revisited.

Specifically, former Governor of Zamfara State and Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari, said the entire North would revolt over the issue.

The lawmaker said this when some Senate presidency aspirants, who visited the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC, yesterday, in Abuja, adopted Senators Godswil Akpabio and Jibrin Barau.