A former Abia State Governor and Senate Majority Whip, Orji Kalu, has said he remains the most important politician from the South-East region, not the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
Kalu stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, when asked whether he believed Igbos should rally behind Obi ahead of future elections.
The senator, who currently represents Abia North, declined to comment extensively on Obi, saying he would only do so if the Labour Party candidate were present for a debate.
“I’m a member of the APC and I don’t want to discuss Peter Obi. Each time you mention him, I become uncomfortable because I’ve told you before, any day you want to discuss Peter Obi with me, give us two hours, put him there, and put me here. Then we’ll sort it out,” Kalu said.
When asked if Obi had become the political leader of the South-East, Kalu dismissed the claim, insisting that his political achievements surpassed Obi’s.
Kalu said, “He’s not my leader, I am the most important politician from that zone. I have won two states before under PPA. I ran for president before , my 4.9 million votes in 2007 are still there. We achieved a lot with PPA. We had ministers, ambassadors, and other appointments under President Yar’Adua.”
Responding to a question on his future political ambitions, Kalu said age would not deter him from running for president if given the opportunity, citing former U.S. President Donald Trump as an example.
Kalu said,”If I’m healthy and God gives me life, I can still contest.The question is not age, it’s competency. It’s about what is in my brain and what I can deliver.”
