The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, All Progressives Congress, APC, Abia North has described as dead on arrival the Impeachment threat on President Muhammadu Buhari and the President of the Senate.
He stated that the impeachment threat is a mere gossip, noting that no lawmaker is talks about Buhari’s impeachment as security which formed part of the impeachment threat, has been addressed.
Answering questions from Journalists in Abia on Tuesday, the former Abia State Governor who allayed the fears that Buhari might be impeached, said that no lawmaker will be able to get the required number for the impeachment process against Buhari and Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
Kalu has also taken a swipe at the Presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, saying that the race for Presidency in 2023 should not be reduced to regional contest, just as he appealed to his tribal people not to make Presidency a regional issue, but wait for their turn and work with other zones in the country to achieve their ambition.
Kalu was at the forefront of agitation for Presidency of Igbo extraction, a position he canvassed for vigorously within his ruling APC in the build up to the party’s primary, but yesterday, he stressed that he cannot jettison the Presidential candidate of his APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to root for the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi simply because he(Obi) is from the same region as him.
Recall that disturbed by the continued insecurity challenges in the country with kidnapping, massive killing and wanton destruction of property across the country, Senators had on July 27, 2022 begun an Impeachment move on President Buhari, giving him six week ultimatum to solve the problem or face Impeachment from office.
On that day, Opposition Senators across party lines who are not happy with the increasing situation, protested against what they described as endless killings in Nigeria, angrily stormed out of plenary, chanting “we are tired, Nigerians are being killed every day, Buhari must go and the Senate President , Ahmad Lawan should follow as far as worsening security situation in Nigeria is not stopped.
As the Senate reconvened yesterday, there were expectations that the impeachment threat against President Muhammadu Buhari will come alive.
Speaking further on the Impeachment threat, Kalu who noted that even if such an issue is brought up again on the floor of the Senate that it will die naturally as the ruling party has the required number to defend Buhari and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
On Impeachment, Kalu said, “Nobody is talking about impeachment. Not on this floor. President Buhari has done well in some areas and failed in some areas. The impeachment threat is a mere gossip.
“It is not possible. I know that senators were agitating about insecurity. You can see that security situation is improving. Generally, there is a daily improvement on security. We want to see the tempo being sustained. When the tempo is sustain, no senator will mention impeachment of the president on the floor of the Senate.”
Speaking further on the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Kalu who noted that he holds nothing personal against Obi running for Presidency but as a loyal member of APC he cannot work against the interest of his party and that of his close allies and friends in Tinubu and his university roommate, Kashim Shettima.
Kalu who expressed satisfaction about Tinubu’s wide consultations in the Southeast, called on Igbos to wait their turn when the rest of the country will agree to zone Presidency to the region. But for now, he called on them to rally massively behind Tinubu; vouching that he(Tinubu) will protect the interest of Igbos and that they will be the best beneficiaries of his Presidency.
Kalu said, “Presidency is not a regional issue. I asked the political parties to zone the presidency to the South East. When they didn’t do that, and since presidency is not a regional issue, I had to withdraw.
“I have no problem with Igbo man being president. But we have to do it with other Nigerians. If we don’t do it with other Nigerians, it is not going to work, no matter how popular you are. It’s president of Nigeria, not president of Igbo land.
“I’m an Igbo man to the core. I’m also a Nigeria to the core. If anyone from the southeast would have been nominated for presidency, I would have been the one. So, it’s a party business. I have no grudges against anybody who is running.
“So, it is not personal. It is political and party. This thing is about party winning election. I have chosen to be in APC. Why will I vote against Tinubu? It’s madness, and I’m not going to do it. Elections go along party line, not along tribal line.
“For me, we will wait for another time and see how all Nigerians will agree to zone the presidency to Igbo land. But for now, our presidential candidate is Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Tinubu is a strategic, he will make his presidency beneficial to the Igbos. The Igbos will be the biggest beneficiaries of Tinubu’s presidency.”