• Kalu rejects call to run for presidency,
• Reaffirms confidence in President’s re-election
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Liadi Tella, has dismissed the swelling coalition of opposition politicians against the second term aspiration of President Bola Tinubu as nothing but an exercise in futility.
Liadi, who responded to the comment of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, that he got the permission of former President Muhammadu Buhari to defect from APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said the erstwhile governor acted in haste.
The APC chieftain expressed confidence in Tinubu’s capacity to turn the nation around for the better between now and 2027, saying: “The negative narrative against the incumbent administration will soon change. The various coalitions against President Tinubu are not in the best interest of Nigeria but to achieve personal ambition just to rule.” He also said that the strange romance between Peter Obi and the Governor of Bauchi State will not change any narration in 2027.
“Everybody is expressing his or her interest but the community and nation’s interest should be placed above that. “I think el-Rufai felt unwelcome in the Tinubu’s administration but defection shouldn’t have been the answer. He is a man that I have a lot of respect for but the SDP, which has suddenly become a new bride, is a dead horse and to wake it up requires a lot of energy and grace. With APC, the defectors will be running against the current of time.
“We have had the experiences in the past and the results were not very palatable in the end. I don’t see him lasting in SDP.
“Between now and 2027, Tinubu will balance things up,” he further said.
MEANWHILE, former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, has rejected the call by the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) to run for the presidency in 2027 but he instead reaffirmed his support for Tinubu.
In a statement, yesterday, by his media office and signed by George Maduka, Kalu, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and senator representing Abia North, reaffirmed his belief in Tinubu.
He dissociated himself from any presidential ambition, reiterating his commitment to supporting the incumbent’s re-election in 2027. Kalu said there is no division within the APC regarding the party’s 2027 presidential candidate and urged the opposition to refrain from using his name for political distractions.
He, however, expressed confidence in Tinubu’s economic reforms, stating that achieving long-term stability, inclusivity, and adaptability requires the President to serve a full eight-year tenure.