The Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Orji Kalu on Tuesday, declared his intention to contest for Senate Presidency in the 10th National Assembly.
Kalu disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the National Assembly.
Recall that Orji Kalu recently won re-election to represent Abia North in the Red Chamber.
It is understood that the All Progressives Congress (APC) maintained a majority in the senate after securing 57 seats.
Reports say senators under the platform of the ruling party eyeing the senate presidency seat have been lobbying their colleagues to seek their support.
Furthermore, reports say aside from Kalu, who has publicly declared interest in the position, Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Sani Musa (Niger); Barau Jibrin (Kano); and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) are also said to be interested in running for the coveted office.
The final candidates for the position will largely be determined by zoning.
However, the APC leadership said it has not zoned the Senate presidency.
Political analysts believe that the ruling party might likely zone the post to the South for power balance, especially after its Muslim-Muslim ticket triggered outrage from some quarters, especially the Christian community.
Addressing reporters, Orji Kalu said that it was his turn to become Senate President, being a ranking lawmaker and from the South East.
He said, “It is my turn to become the Senate President. If I’m elected Senate President, I will be team Nigeria. I’m going to work in every corner of Nigeria.
“I schooled in Maiduguri, Borno State. I started my business in Lagos and spread it across all state capitals. My first name will be team Nigeria, my last name will be team Nigeria.
“Remember, I’m the only former governor who has never changed phone line for more than 20 years ago. I’m still willing to maintain that telephone number to answer all my calls. I’m not going to switch off my phones because I’m Senate President.
“I’m hoping that Nigerians will pray for me to become Senate President because it’s my turn.”
In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reappointment of Idris Musa as the Director General of the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
This was disclosed in a statement tweet by the Ministry of Environment on its official Twitter handle.
