The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has denied endorsing the former governor of Abia, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as its preferred candidate for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly.
Monday in Abuja, a member of the forum, Alhaji Musa Saidu, issued the following statement.
Saidu was responding to a communiqué sent to the leader of the Arewa Youth Conservative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, alleging that the ACF had endorsed Kalu for the position.
“I wish to state unequivocally that the ACF has no youth division and that there was never a period when Shettima was considered for the position of AYCF commander.
“The entire statement is untrue.
“The ACF has not endorsed Kalu as the next Senate President because we do things differently.
“It is shocking to hear Shettima ask Sen. Abdulaziz Yari to step down for Kalu in the Senate Presidency race,” he said.
Saidu, who is also the leader of the Arewa Community in southern Nigeria, stated that the ACF would have preferred that the position be allocated to the North due to its contribution to President Bola Tinubu’s election victory on February 25.
“The most ballots for Tinubu in the presidential election came from the North, so we cannot simply endorse candidates from other zones for the Senate presidency.
“How can we campaign for Tinubu to become president and then for other zones to become Senate president?”
“In actuality, the Vice-President position granted to the North is akin to a spare tire; everyone in Nigeria is aware that the position has little value.”
“Since the North West received the most votes for Tinubu, the zone should receive the Senate Presidency; the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is too small for the region,” he stated.
Saidu added, “It is repayment time for the North, so the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly should go to the North.
“For the sake of fairness and justice, the North should be considered for the Senate presidency, and Sen. Abdulaziz Yari should be endorsed for the position.”
