BY TOBY CHUKS / AWKA
A pressure group known as Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) Grassroots Movement of Nigeria has slammed Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and Hon. Adams Garba over their unguarded comments against the Southeast Zone and Senator Orji-Uzor Kalu on who clinches the office of President of the Senate in the next political dispensation.
Governor Umahi and Garba, a chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in separate comments argued that the Southeast zone and Senator Uzor Kalu lacked the justification to demand for the office of President of the Senate.
While Umahi said he accepted the decision of APC to zone the President of the Senate to South South because Southeast lacks justification to get it, Garba said that Kalu cannot emerge as the President of the Senate because he was not part of the formation of the incoming administration.
Reacting to the development, the OUK Movement in a press briefing described the comments from Umahi and Garba as “arrant nonsense” coming from selfish political merchants that deserve no attention from well meaning Nigerians because they are speaking for their selfish interest and not representing the interest of any well meaning quarters in the country.
Convener and national leader of the Movement Alhaji Muritala Mohammed alias 10:10 told Governor Umahi that he is working for his stomach and not speaking for the Southeast because Southeast Senators-elect led by Senator Ifeanyi Uba alongside other relevant stakeholders have made the position of the Southeast on the issue of Senate President known to the whole world that the Southeast deserve number 3 position in Nigeria at this point in time.
Alhaji Muhammad went further to express his disappointment with the Ebonyi governor, describing him as a political merchant fronting his stomach ahead of the interest of Southeast zone and the stability of the country.
According to him, “why a sitting governor should come out in the open to betray the popular interest of his own geopolitical zone for mere personal interest.”
He also dismissed Garba with a wave of hand describing him as a political jobber seeking the crumbs from the table.
“No reasonable human being in Nigeria can question the contribution of Orji Uzor Kalu to the making and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria in general and his contributions to the success of the APC in 2019 and in the just concluded 2023 general elections.
“Orji Uzor Kalu is a foremost employer of labour in Africa and one of the pillars of democracy in Nigeria. It is funny for Garba to say that Orji Uzor Kalu cannot become Senate President in Nigeria because he was not part of the formation of the government. That’s a statement from a political ignoramus who is not well grounded in the affairs of Nigeria. Orji Uzor Kalu by all standards is qualified to hold any position including President of the Federal Republic and Senate President of the Federal Republic”, he concluded.
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