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Arewa Forum denies endorsing Orji Kalu as next Senate President
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has denied supporting Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly.
The response came after an allegation that Kalu was the ACF’s first choice, according to a statement attributed to Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the AYCF’s head.
One of its members, Alhaji Musa Saidu, in a statement on Monday said the claim was false, adding that the Forum had no youth wing.
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“I want to say without fear of contradiction, that the ACF has no youth wing and there was no time that we sat to make Shettima the AYCF leader. The whole thing is false.
“The ACF has not endorsed Kalu as the next Senate President, because we have our own ways of doing things.
“It is shocking to hear Shettima asking Sen. Abdulaziz Yari to step down for Kalu in the race for Senate Presidency,” he said.
Saidu further said rather than support Kalu, ACF would prefer a candidate from the North because of its contribution to the victory of President Bola Tinubu at the presidential polls.
Saidu further said rather than support Kalu, ACF would prefer a candidate from the North because of its contribution to the victory of President Bola Tinubu at the presidential polls.
“The North contributed the highest votes for Tinubu in the presidential election, so we can’t just endorse candidates from other zones for the Senate Presidency.
“How can we work for Tinubu to become president and then turn around to start campaigning for other zones to become Senate President?
“In fact the Vice-President slot given to the North is just like a spare tyre, everybody in Nigeria knows that the position has not much value.
“Since the North West gave Tinubu the highest votes, then it should be given the Senate Presidency, the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is too small for the zone,” he said.
