Abia North Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has called on Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal to put aside political differences with President Bola Tinubu to ensure the state benefits from federal development funds.

Speaking on Monday during the commissioning of the newly constructed Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the renovation of Zamfara College of Arts and Science in Gusau, the Zamfara capital, Kalu stressed the importance of political cooperation for the state’s progress.

Kalu, a senior member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), clarified that he was not asking Lawal to abandon his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but urged him to maintain a cordial relationship with President Tinubu, an influential APC figure.

“The president is not only my brother; he is my friend. People thought we met when we were governors, no. My children used to live in his house. Mrs Tinubu brought those girls up because we were living in Abia but they schooled in Lagos.”

“They lived in Marina, in the president’s house. Whatever my political differences with the President were, we have healed it up and we are one. I want you to heal your political differences with the President.”

He encouraged the governor to put the people of Zamfara’s interests first over party politics.

“I know you are PDP. I am APC. The President is APC. Do PDP as a party but do economic development as a Zamfara man so Zamfara can develop.”

Kalu advised Lawal to practice what he called “political economics” to attract more federal government funds for the state’s development projects.

“Once you leave economic diplomacy and play politics, you will lose, Zamfara people will lose. Go and take the federal money. If you do politics, you leave the federal money. If you do political economics, you get the federal money and develop Zamfara State.”

He also called on the current and former governors from Zamfara to work together for the benefit of the people.

“(Former) Governor (Abdul’aziz) Yari is from here and you are from here. You people should come together and give Zamfara (people) the development they need and the livewire they need.”

Kalu pointed out the critical need for Zamfara to gain the federal government’s attention.

“This place needs the attention of the Federal Government. I am not saying join their party but I am saying be on good terms.”

Recalling his own political experience, Kalu emphasized the possibility of working across party lines.

“Tinubu was not in our party when President Obasanjo was in office. I was the governor of the PDP. He was the only one that was not in PDP but we shared the same ideas.”

Amid recent defections from PDP to APC by Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, the APC now controls 23 out of Nigeria’s 36 governorships.

Critics have accused the ruling party of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, a claim President Tinubu strongly denied during his Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2025.

Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue State, following the brutal killings of over 200 people in the region last weekend.

President Tinubu had announced the visit during the commissioning of the Greater Abuja Water Supply Network on Monday.

He extended condolences to the government and people of Benue and emphasized the importance of directly engaging with communities affected by violence.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the President also confirmed that his scheduled official trip to Kaduna State had been postponed so he could personally assess the situation in Benue.

Reacting to the announcement, Obi took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to thank the President for the decision, while urging him to extend the same level of concern to Niger State, which recently suffered catastrophic flooding that claimed hundreds of lives.

“It was refreshing news on Monday to a bewildered nation learning that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally decided to visit the scene of the brutal killings in Benue State.”

“For this I thank him even as I make further request that similar gesture should be extended to Niger State that lost more number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood recently,” Obi wrote.

He stressed that the urgency of these crises demands more immediate responses, warning that delayed visits may undermine the seriousness of government intervention.

“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that makes it look like a state visit.”

“The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting.”

Obi drew attention to the scale of human loss in both Benue and Niger states, highlighting that over 200 lives were lost in each tragedy.

“Both Benue and Niger States have lost over 200 lives each due to recent tragedies. In Mokwa alone, more than 200 people were confirmed dead, and over 1,000 are still missing following the floods.”

“These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed.”

He also made a comparison to actions taken by other world leaders, notably South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently undertook a long journey to console victims of flooding in his country.

“The distance from Abuja to these affected areas is not far. Abuja to Makurdi is about 282km and Abuja to Mokwa is about 287km.”

“Combined, that’s roughly 1,134 km for a round trip to both locations, still significantly less than the 1,870 km round trip President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa recently made some days ago from Pretoria to Mthatha to personally visit flood victims in his country.”

“Less than 100 persons died in Mthatha, and more than 200 died in Mokwa, with over 1,000 still missing. If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.”

Obi urged Tinubu to use a visit to Mokwa as an opportunity to reaffirm the value of every Nigerian life and to demonstrate that no part of the country, regardless of location, is neglected.

“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten. Please also consider stepping up security across the country, especially in disaster-prone areas.”

Concluding his message, Obi called for a shift from symbolic to responsive governance:

“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action,” he wrote.

Heightened security was observed at the Lagos State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday as the party prepared to unveil its candidates for the upcoming July 12 local government elections.

The elections will cover the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas.

The APC’s Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, confirmed in a brief statement that the event would also serve as the official flag-off of the party’s campaign ahead of the highly anticipated polls.

The ceremony is being held at the party headquarters in Ogba, amid ongoing efforts to unify the party following internal disputes that trailed the May 10 primaries.

Punch reports that the primary election process triggered discontent among some APC members and aspirants for both chairmanship and councillorship positions.

Protests followed, with accusations that party stakeholders imposed candidates, undermining internal democracy.

To address these grievances, the APC inaugurated a reconciliation committee in June to mediate disputes and restore party cohesion in the lead-up to the election.

On Monday, a Punch correspondent noted the presence of a police van and armed officers stationed at the entrance of the secretariat, reflecting the party’s concern about maintaining order as tensions linger.

Meanwhile, the APC chairmanship candidate for Epe LG, and the incumbent council boss, Princess Surah Animashaun, has issued a call for peace and party unity.

In a statement obtained on Monday, she urged disaffected members to put aside their differences for the sake of electoral success.

“I was there, but there was no problem, the primary was held. It is normal for people to be aggrieved, but there was nowhere a candidate was imposed or shortchanged,” Animashaun said.

She defended the integrity of the primary, stressing that it followed due process as laid out in the APC’s constitution.

“There are two ways in our party constitution, it states that it is either a direct or indirect primary. What happened on that day was a direct primary, that is by voting and all aspirants were there and the delegates voted for their choice of candidates, and it was announced before the people.”

Seeking a second term, Animashaun said her candidacy is rooted in a commitment to uplift youths and women and foster inclusive governance in Epe.

“I know my people, I know the problem of the people and I know how to handle it. I am a grassroots person and I know that with the support of the leaders, the right things will be done.”

She emphasized that community engagement would remain central to her leadership approach.

“Before any decision is taken, or any project is executed, I will call everybody, bring it on board and discuss it with them, then take it back to my executive for execution, so that the pulse of the people will be properly felt and they are all involved.”

The incumbent concluded by pledging that her administration, if re-elected, would prioritize the welfare of residents, guided by a clear understanding of their needs.

“Before you deal with any problem, you must first have a good understanding of it.”