John Adams, Minna
The Senate Chief Whip and former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has blamed saboteurs for the growing insecurity across the country.
“Security is a big challenge to everybody and the Senate is going to address this issue. Insecurity has defied every solution. I see a lot of sabotage in this issue of insecurity and I can assure you that the Senate will address the issue.”
The chief Whip spoke in Minna, yesterday, after meeting with former president, General Ibrahim Badamosi 
Babangida (retd) and former head of state, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (retd) at their Uphill residence in Minna.
According to Kalu, it is unfortunate that the security challenges have continued to linger despite efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to address the menace.
“The president must be very angry about what is going on. What is happening is rather unfortunate. He is a known army general, top-class General and Commander-in-Chief. He is not happy at all and I am sure he is not sleeping over it.”
On the issue of zoning for 2023, Kalu maintained that it is a party affairs but added that there was no zoning in the All Progressives Congress (APC) which makes the Presidency an open basket for anyone to fight for it.
“Zoning is a party issue, every party has the right to say where they want a position to come from but in APC, there is no issue of zoning. Anybody can contest for the Presidency, it has not been zoned to any region and zoning is not in the constitution of APC and as long as it is not a constitutional matter of APC, the Presidency is an open basket where everybody can fight for.”
On whether he will contest, he replied: “For now, I am a senator of the Federal Republic and if given another opportunity I will love to come back to serve.”
He, however, maintained that “notwithstanding, if given the opportunity to serve at the highest level in the country, I will not hesitate.”
Senator Kalu who arrived Minna at about 1:21pm accompanied by his friends and associates, drove straight to the Hilltop mansion of General Babangida where he met with the former military president for over two hours.
The Senate Chief Whip later stopped over at General Abdulsalami’s resident where he also met with the former military head of state.
He proceeded to the palace of the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Farouq Bahago, where he told the Emir that he was in Minna on a private visit.
“I decided to stop over here sir, to pay my homage,” he said.
Kalu said he was in Minna to congratulate General Babangida on his 79th birthday and greet General Abdulsalam for his successful medical treatment abroad.