The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has insisted that he will contest for the President of the Senate in the incoming 10th National Assembly, according to sources close to him.
Kalu, 63, is a former governor of Abia state and one of the most senior lawmakers returning to the red chambers in June 2023.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders and the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have all queued behind Senator Godswill Akpabio for the position.
Akpabio, 60, is a former Minority Leader of the Nigerian Senate who was in the upper chambers from 2015 to 2019 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Despite Akpabio getting the backing of most APC leaders, Kalu is said not to be deterred and has concluded pals to contest for the position.
He is said to be contacting senators in his party and the opposition to win the contest at all costs.
His aides say their principal is still being determined and will contest for the position.
Mazi Ezenwa Onyirimba, an associate of Kalu, said:
“His Excellency, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, will contest for the seat of the Senate President when the 10th National Assembly is convened. It is within his rights, and he will not be intimidated.
“The southeast also deserves the position to appease our people who feel marginalized by the outgoing administration.
“Zoning the seat to the southeast will give our people the confidence that the incoming administration will carry them along.
“The candidacy of Orji Kalu would assuage the Igbo and the adjourning zones to an extent and deal decisively with the challenge posed by the deficit of trust in Igbos for no apparent good reason.”
Asked if Kalu will step down for Akpabio as some other contenders have already done, Onyirimba said:
“That is not a possibility. As I noted in a statement last week, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as a staunch APC leader from the southeast stands tall in the political equation of southern Nigeria, with a vast network of strategic political and economic links across board.
“He is known to have the ears of all and sundry, a critical advantage to help understand the issues agitating various sections of our country.
“He also has the required network and political acumen to preside over 100 senators, as his experience as the current Chief Whip of the Senate gives him an advantage.”