The Senator representing Abia North Senatorial district and former Abia State governor, Orji Kalu, has dismissed Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as his political leader, and advised former President Goodluck Jonathan to permanently quit partisan politics rather than consider a comeback.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Kalu declared that Jonathan should “remain the statesman he is,” warning that any attempt to return to the presidency would contravene the constitution.
“If I’m President Jonathan, I will not think of running for election again. It is constitutionally banned by law and nobody can do more than eight years in our constitution. If I’m him, I’ll just remain the statesman I am.” Kalu said.
His comment comes amid renewed speculation about Jonathan’s possible return to the presidential race. The speculation gained traction recently after Professor Jerry Gana publicly declared that the former president would contest the 2027 election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that Nigerians were calling for his comeback.
The PDP, however, swiftly distanced itself from Gana’s statement, describing it as a personal opinion and an unendorsed position, a move that underscored internal divisions within the party over the matter.
Kalu also dismissed suggestions that Labour Party’s Peter Obi is the political leader of the Southeast, a remark he made after the interviewer asked if he accepted Obi’s leadership in the region.
He replied that Obi was not his leader and could not be regarded as the most influential politician from the zone adding that his long-standing experience in national politics placed him ahead of Obi in terms of influence and impact
“Peter Obi is not my leader. I am the most important politician from that zone,” he said.
“I have won two states before. I ran for president in 2007 and got 4.9 million votes. We had ministers and ambassadors under President Yar’Adua. You cannot be telling me that anybody can run for president and suddenly become my leader.”
Kalu, who refused to entertain further questions about Obi, said he had made it clear to the programme host, Seun Okinbaloye, that he would not discuss the Labour Party flag bearer.
“Any day you want to discuss Peter Obi with me, give us two hours. Keep him there and keep me here, and we’ll sort it out,” he added.
The Abia North senator also accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of attempting to rewrite history by denying his third-term agenda, insisting that Obasanjo personally told him about the plan during a meeting at the Presidential Villa.
“Obasanjo told me in the Villa that he wanted a third term. That was the beginning of our quarrel,” Kalu said.
“He had already convinced some governors, but we stopped him. Even the U.S. government under President Bush helped to stop him. Let former President Obasanjo not annoy the gods of our land because he wanted a third term.”
On the recurring issue of Igbo marginalisation, Kalu maintained that the Southeast has not been treated fairly since the Nigerian Civil War ended over five decades ago.
“Since after the Civil War, Igbos have not been fairly treated,” he said.
“Nigerians need to reabsorb the Igbos and play by the rules with them so the country can develop. As long as you clamp down on the Igbos, the country will find it difficult to progress.”
He lamented the continued stigmatisation of the Igbo people, narrating a personal experience involving his children.
“My children went out and came back to tell me the way people talk about Igbos in this country. I told them that’s what it is. Igbos have not committed any offence. I didn’t know how the Civil War started or ended, and we should forget about that,” he said.
While he argued that President Tinubu was making efforts to address some of these concerns, he noted that the process of national healing must include fairness and justice to all ethnic groups.
Kalu also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and recent borrowings, insisting that loans taken for infrastructure were justified, unlike those used for recurrent expenditure. He described current fiscal reforms as necessary, saying Nigeria’s economy was being rebuilt after years of instability.
“Borrowing is not the issue, it’s what you use the money for. Borrowing to build infrastructure like roads and railways is good. Borrowing to pay salaries is what I don’t support.
“I can tell you our roads are improving. Unlike before, the Port Harcourt Expressway and the Umuahia-Ndume-Lopanta road are being done. President Tinubu is investing a lot in my state,” he said.
He expressed confidence that President Tinubu would win reelection in 2027, boasting that none of the “people parading themselves” as opposition figures could defeat him.
“None of these people parading themselves can defeat President Tinubu. We all know ourselves. We eat on the same table. What are they going to offer Nigeria that we are not already offering?” he said.
On his personal ambition, Kalu said he remains competent to lead Nigeria someday, but added that his immediate loyalty is to President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress. Though he avoided confirming whether he was interested in becoming Senate President in 2027, he hinted that he was “qualified to be anything.”
According to him, what the Southeast needs most is inclusion and recognition, not token positions.
“Igbos deserve everything you want to give them whether president, senate president, anything,” he said.
