Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, has stated that his presidential ambition is currently on hold until President Bola Tinubu completes his second term in office.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, Kalu emphasized that party loyalty takes precedence over personal ambition.
He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has already endorsed President Tinubu for re-election, and as such, any personal aspiration must align with that decision.
“I am a member of the APC and our party has comfortably endorsed President Tinubu. So, even if I have presidential ambition, it is in the cooler for now because I cannot fight the party. The party is supreme. The supremacy of the party is what President Tinubu is enjoying,” he said.
Kalu noted that should he still possess the capacity and resources after Tinubu’s tenure, he may revive his ambition.
“He will enjoy it and we will elect him President. At God’s own time, if I still have the energy and the resources, after President Tinubu in 2031, who says, I can’t contest for the President? It is possible.”
Looking ahead to 2027, the former Abia State governor also confirmed his intention to seek re-election to the Senate if he remains favored by his constituents.
“In 2027, I will run for re-election for the Senate. I will run if our people find me worthy. A man who has done more than 187 roads in six years as a senator, and I have done more than 123 primary schools,” he stated.
Kalu further commended President Tinubu’s performance in office so far, expressing confidence in the president’s ability to deliver lasting improvements to Nigeria’s economy.
“I work closely with him. The President has done very well within two years. If we can give him the benefits of finishing another two years and doing another term, I think we will see a lot of changes in the economy,” he remarked.
Addressing critics who have questioned the timing of Tinubu’s endorsement, Kalu defended the move, describing it as a strategic decision to motivate the president to do more.
“The party did the right thing because we are in the mid-term and we need to encourage the President to do more. The sitting President has the right to re-contest and we will support him one hundred percent,” he added.
