The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has been commended for his role in convincing some aggrieved Senators elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC to remain in the party.
Hon. Tunde Kolawale, Director General, APC Frontiers Coalition, in an interview with journalists on Wednesday morning, praised Kalu for initiating the processes of appealing the Senators.
Kolawale commended Kalu’s leadership and capacity is uniting party members noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress would remain the majority party in the national assembly.
“Senator Orji Uzor Kalu used his closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate that visit from what we heard. He has done very well as a party man and we must commend him for that initiative. Don’t forget the National Chairman also met with the Senators. This is about human relation; don’t forget that Senator Orji Kalu was awarded as the best Senator in Constituency projects and human relations. He has continued to demonstrate and uphold that even in the APC.
“We must commend him, President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Ahmad Lawan and the National Chairman of our great party for being committed to the growth of our party. Senator Kalu is a thorough party man with great leadership qualities. He is a good brand for our party, a mobilizer and trailblazer,” he said.
Recall that some aggrieved Senators serving on the platform of the All Progressives Congress met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Senators, numbering about 22, had pledged to defect from the party over the outcome of primaries in their state ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Leader of the delegation, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, said the lawmakers felt disenfranchised by the process.
Speaking at the meeting, President Buhari urged the Senators to exercise restraint in their decision to defect from the party.
Several APC lawmakers have defected recently.
President Buhari said the defections were a threat to the APC’s majority in the National Assembly.
After the meeting, Kalu said the aggrieved Senators would no longer pursue defection from the APC.
“Earlier this afternoon, I led the 22 aggrieved Senators and members of the All Progressive Congress to President Muhammad Buhari,GCFR,” Kalu, the Chief Whip of the ninth senate, said in a statement.
“Our meeting with Mr President was successful and the issue of decamping from our party has been laid to rest.”