By Sanusi Lamido
“Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.” When William Shakespeare made this assertion, he was referring to the likes of former governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the 9th Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu.
June 13, 2023, was a typical day in the annals of the Nigerian Parliament, a day that was to produce a Pandora’s box from the Senate, the doomsday expectation of a turbulent voyage that turned a smooth sail after all.
Nigerians expected a tug of war and clash of heavyweights. Yours sincerely did too, being aware of the three major candidates vying for the position of the Number Three position in the hierarchy of Nigeria’s presidential ascension.
One was a returnee senator, senator with overall best constituency projects in the 9th Senate, biggest employer of labour among the three, a political titan that warded off the “Obi tsunami” in the South East, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
Until the eve of that election date, many industry watchers had waited with bated breath to see the one-time governor of Abia State pull the strings on the floor that faithful day, hence, the process would be by secret ballot and, no doubt, the Chief Whip has got enormous goodwill and confidence from his returning colleagues and the new ones.
Inside the Senate Chamber, seated at the right hand side of the makeshift chamber was His Excellency, the best Chief Whip in Senate history, as Ahmad Lawan would always put it, a man Orji Kalu gave overwhelming support during his tenure as President of the 9th Senate. In fact, some analysts have aduced that Orji’s undiluted support for Lawan during the APC primaries was the reason he lost the favour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the position of the president of the 10th Senate, debatable though, but Senator Kalu has remained an unrepentant supporter of Senator Lawan and from his body language he never regretted it.
Now back to the crux of this piece, the election in the Senate that June 13, 2023, and the calmness of the Number Five man in the 9th Senate. It was not open ballot like its sister chamber, the House of Representatives, therefore, a tactical network could have caused a distortion, which was what Orji’s supporters wanted, after all, as they say, conspiracy gives way to security, these are tools the former Chief Whip had on his palms to perforate the choice of his party to either clinch the coveted position or give it away, even during the voting for the position of president of the Senate many now thought Senator Kalu would have resolved to go for Deputy President’s position, but, instead, he chose to give way for party loyalty over personal ambition, albeit an ambition that some of his colleagues perceived as going to evolve into national interest, having known Senator Kalu as a detribalized Nigerian.
That election was peaceful and rancour-free and assuaged the yearnings of the ruling All Progressives Congress because Senator Kalu eventually submitted to party interest, a difficult decision he took days before the election, in spite of the deluge of calls from colleagues and supporters not to yield to the micro zoning of his party.
Students of Kalu know his unbending disposition towards his convictions, but one finest feature that seperates him and 21st-century Nigerian politicians is his penchant for party loyalty. Party supremacy is boldly engraved in his political chess board.
The calmness of Kalu is reflective of the calmness of the tiger that does not make it a weak animal.
The political and emotional maturity of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, especially all through the contest for Senate president of the 10th Senate is a topic for social research, a calmness that even his colleagues and supporters are yet to fathom.