Follow Us on Google
•Says party won’t rely on its govs to win 2027
From Kenneth Udeh , Abuja
Chairman of the Senate Committee on South-East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, says the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will not rely on defections or sitting governors to win the 2027 presidential election, stressing that the party’s growing strength in the South-East is the product of consistency, sacrifice, and hard work.
Speaking during TVC News Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, Kalu recounted how he was ridiculed and called names when he joined the APC in 2016 as the only political leader from the South-East to identify with the party.
“When I joined the APC in 2016, I was the only South-East leader in the party. People mocked me, called me names, and thought I was mad to have joined a party that had no governor or lawmaker from our region,” Kalu said.
“But I stood my ground and kept assuring the party leadership that it would be well. In 2019, I became the first senator elected on the APC platform from the South-East, and today the story has changed. We now have APC governors, senators, and House members across the zone.”
The former Abia State Governor said the party will not depend on political defections or the influence of governors to secure victory in the 2027 elections.
“We are not relying on governors or defections to win. We are relying on hard work. Politics is about commitment and results, not noise. We are on the ground and determined to ensure that President Tinubu and all APC candidates perform well in 2027, especially in Abia and across the South-East,” he stated.
Kalu expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu will record significant success in the South-East during the next general elections, citing growing public confidence in the APC-led government and visible development projects across the region.
“In 2019, President Buhari got over 60% of the votes in my constituency, Abia North. Tinubu didn’t do well in 2023 because we didn’t mobilise enough, but this time, we are ready. Our people are beginning to see the progress in roads and infrastructure. The President has opened up roads long abandoned, and he’s doing more,” Kalu noted.
‘South-East not marginalised, but excluded since the war’
When asked if he still maintained his position that the South-East has been marginalised, Kalu said the region has been “put out of the scheme of things” since after the civil war. “I can always tell you that the South-East is not really marginalised, but we were put out of the scheme of things after the civil war,” he said.
“I didn’t start the war and I didn’t fight in it, neither did I end it. What we need is sincerity and equity so that we can all move together and develop the country.”
On the detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Kalu urged Nigerians to respect the judicial process.
“Nnamdi Kanu’s case is before a competent court, and it would be unfair for me to comment on his release,” he said. “Justice Omotosho is handling the matter, and we should allow the courts to do their work. Nigerians must learn to respect the judiciary.”
Other News
The former Senate Chief Whip expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s reform agenda, describing it as a necessary process that will yield positive results despite current hardships.
“Reforms come with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Nigerians are feeling pain, yes, but these pains will lead to long-term gain. I’ve already sponsored a bill on social welfare and investment to reduce poverty, and I’ll meet the President to fast-track it. We must show Nigerians that we have them in our hearts,” he said.
Kalu also highlighted ongoing infrastructure improvements in the South-East, including federal road projects linking Enugu, Lokpanta, Aba, Port Harcourt, Bende, and Arochukwu.
“Before now, those roads were impassable. Today, they are being rebuilt. The President is doing a lot in our region, and I’m confident that the 2026 budget will reflect even more development for our people,” he added.
Uma Ukpai’s death has created massive vacuum in Christendom -Otti
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of renowned cleric, Rev. (Dr.) Uma Ukpai, describing his passing as a monumental loss that has created a massive vacuum in Christendom.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Governor Otti said he received with shock and sadness the news of the death of the revered man of God, whom he described as one of Abia’s most impactful and celebrated religious ambassadors.
Recalling the long-standing father-son relationship that existed between him and the late evangelist, Otti described Dr. Ukpai’s demise was devastating.
“Our father in the Lord, Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai, has, to the joy of the heavens and celebration of the angels, gone to be with the Lord,” the Governor said.
“He was the father of all, a soldier of Christ, and a generational teacher who yielded himself to Christ and became a potent instrument for healing the sick, saving lost souls, fulfilling the scriptures, and manifesting the prophecies of God.”
Otti noted that Dr. Ukpai’s death was particularly painful because of the immense positive influence he wielded and the countless lives he touched through his ministry.
“His death is devastating because of the positive impacts he made, the lives he touched in very special ways, and, above all, the vacuum his exit has created,” the statement added.
While regretting that the revered preacher passed on at a time his services to God and humanity were still being enjoyed, Governor Otti described his transition as “not a death but a journey to higher glory.”
The Governor extended his condolences to the family of Dr. Ukpai, the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association (UUEA), and the entire Christian community, praying that God would grant them the strength to bear the loss and the grace to continue his legacy of faith and service.
