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By Doris Obinna
Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu has said Lawan’s emergence was the choice of majority of NWC members as Adamu, the national chairman lacks the power to take a unilateral decision on a consensus candidate.
Kalu stated this in a television interview monitored in Lagos, yesterday, in reaction to the controversy that has trailed Lawan’s consensus candidature.
He said there was no way Adamu would take such a critical decision without the support of President Buhari. He said of the 23 members of the NWC that met to take the decision, only two disagreed.
He described Lawan as the most competent and qualified of all the aspirants for the job.
“Ahmed Abdulahi is an experience and credible man. At the end of NWC meeting in their wisdom from the consultation that was made, selected Ahmed Lawan. Those in the NWC meeting confirmed this to me. There’re one or two people out of the 23 who disagrees and said no, but majority of the people had their way. Also note that the chairman of the party cannot be acting on his own. He can never act on own alone. The president is the leader of the party. So there’s nothing wrong with the choice. Ahmed Lawan has served the party very well and I see nothing wrong with that. If the chairman of the party has said that, then, it is the choice of the part.
“…I stand in fairness and equity. Lawan is the choice of the party and the choice of party supersedes all other interests as the party is supreme. The party through the mechanism of the party made their selection. The chairman of the party cannot act on his own. The president is the head of the party and so the supremacy of the party stands. The governors are not being fair to the president. However, they’re doing what is democratic and so cannot be taken away from them. It’s about interest and I believe some have been promised vice president.”
Declaring his support for Lawan, he said the party agreed to zone to the South, but was not specific on whether it should be the South East or South West.
“Coming from a small village, Lawan should be given the opportunity to serve. I think the candidacy coming from the North East is a big force to reckon with.”
Kalu, who said he has no interest in becoming the vice president, said the South East does not have the numbers and so cannot go far in their quest.
