Senate Chief Whip and Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has been disowned by his constituents.
This came after he asked the All Progressive Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a Muslim, to pick a fellow Muslim as his running mate.
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Kalu insisted that there was nothing wrong if Asiwaju Tinubu, runs a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He also said that it would be politically naive for Tinubu, a minority Muslim from the South-West, to choose a minority Christian from the North as his running mate.
But in a swift response, his constituents dismissed Kalu’s remarks as “shameful and disappointing”, saying he only spoke for himself and his pocket.
Responding, the paramount traditional ruler of Abiriba ancient kingdom, HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu (Enachoken), said the comment by the former Governor, if truly, made was “strange, unbelievable and illogical”.
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He argued that the religious plurality of Nigeria did not favour a joint ticket of same religion, hence, anybody suggesting otherwise should be disregarded.
The ideas is strange. I don’t think he made such advocacy but if he did, he didn’t speak for Abia North, he didn’t speak for Ndigbo because such a comment doesn’t make sense at all. It’s very inappropriate
Similarly, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abia North, Dr Isaac Nkole, said that Kalu had since, lost political steam and was only trying to warm his way to Tinubu’s camp after opposing his presidential ambition.
Dr Nkole said:
It is very embarrassing for a supposed Senator in Kalu’s ranking to advocate Muslim/Muslim or even Christian/Christian ticket in a religious sensitive and plural state like Nigeria.
He argued that;
Religion and ethnicity have unfortunately remained Nigeria’s fault lines which must not be dismissed with a wave of the hand in the interest of peace and national cohesion.”
The PDP chieftain reminded Kalu that “no amount of hypocritical remarks” would make Tinubu and his camp to forget that he supported and worked for Ahmed Lawan against Tinubu before and during the APC presidential primary.
He dismissed Kalu as “a disappointment and enemy” to Abia North, Christianity and Ndigbo, vowing that “the 2019 mistake” that brought him to power would never be repeated.
