2027: Tinubu has turned economy around, says Orji Kalu

• Insists Senate not rubber stamp, defends Rivers emergency rule

From Fred Itua and Okwe Obi, Abuja

Former Abia State governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that President Bola Tinubu has turned Nigeria’s economy around despite the hardship occasioned by his administration’s reforms, insisting that the next major challenge before the President is to tackle insecurity across the country.

Kalu, who also dismissed suggestions that the National Assembly was a rubber stamp of the executive, said he would continue to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while maintaining that his immediate political ambition was to return to the Senate, although he would not reject the position of Senate President if offered.

Speaking on ARISE Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme last night, the former governor defended the administration’s economic policies, arguing that the reforms, though painful, had begun to yield results, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

“You know that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has turned the economy around. I don’t talk politics, I talk economy.”

Kalu maintained that Tinubu had stabilised the economy at the micro level, insisting that the temporary difficulties associated with economic reforms should not obscure what he described as improvements already being recorded.

“There is no reform on earth without people suffering for the time being,” he said, arguing that factories were performing better than they did in 2021.

The senator, however, acknowledged that insecurity remained a major challenge requiring urgent presidential attention, saying the government must now concentrate on addressing threats to lives and property.

Kalu, a prominent supporter of Tinubu’s second-term ambition, reiterated his conviction that the President remained the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 presidential election, while dismissing the opposition as too fragmented to pose a serious challenge.

The former governor had previously maintained that the South-East would support Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the President deserved another term to consolidate his economic reforms.

On the relationship between the executive and the legislature, Kalu rejected the perception that the Senate merely endorsed decisions taken by the President, insisting that his support for the administration did not amount to unquestioning loyalty. “I’m not a rubber stamp,” he declared.

He nevertheless defended Tinubu’s intervention in the political crisis in Rivers State, maintaining that the President’s action against Governor Siminalayi Fubara was constitutional.

Turning to his political future, Kalu said he was not pursuing any particular leadership position in the National Assembly, stressing that his immediate concern was to secure another term in the Senate and contribute to national development. “I have no ambition. If anything is given to me, I will take.”

He added that his ambition was “just to sit in the Senate and contribute to issues that will make Nigeria better.”

However, when questioned about the possibility of becoming Senate President after the 2027 elections, Kalu indicated that he would not reject the position if it came his way, particularly if President Tinubu supported his emergence.

He also spoke about the importance of grooming younger political leaders and creating opportunities for others to assume positions of responsibility in the future.

Kalu has been linked to renewed interest in the Senate presidency ahead of the next political dispensation, although he insisted during the interview that he was not actively seeking the position. He had also previously indicated that any presidential ambition he might harbour would have to wait until Tinubu completed a second term.

Reflecting on his political career, Kalu revisited his relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging that despite the support he and his associates gave Obasanjo following his release from prison and eventual emergence as President, their political relationship subsequently deteriorated.

The former governor said he remained “very close” to Obasanjo, notwithstanding their past political differences and the disputes that arose during the former President’s administration.

According to Kalu, he and Obasanjo had discussed an arrangement under which the former President would serve for four years, but he accused him of subsequently acting contrary to constitutional expectations.

He also alleged that Obasanjo used the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pursue political figures, including former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye.

Kalu further accused the former President of damaging his business interests and engineering the revocation of his bank’s licence, which he attributed to political and ethnic considerations.

He alleged that Obasanjo took those actions “because of the Igbo,” suggesting that their political differences had consequences for his business interests.

The senator also expressed disappointment with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing the party of turning against him despite the financial and material support he claimed to have provided during its formative years.

“After bringing food the PDP turned against me. When people had no money, I brought in money,” he said.

Kalu maintained that he had made substantial contributions to the party’s development at a time when resources were scarce, but subsequently became a target of political opposition within its ranks.

Despite his experience with the EFCC and the judicial process, the former governor expressed confidence in Nigeria’s judiciary, describing it as the “freest” in the world.

He said there were still principled judicial officers who remained committed to interpreting and applying the law without regard to political pressure or personal interests.

According to him, some judges continued to see “the law as the law,” a development he considered important to the administration of justice.

Reflecting on the personal consequences of his legal ordeal, Kalu said the experience had made him more humble and given him a different perspective on life, public service and the responsibilities of leadership.