I've no issue with Umahi, expect more governors in APC - Orji Kalu

 

By Johnson Daniel

The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said he has no face-off with Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State who recently left PDP and joined APC.

Senator Kalu rather advised Governor Umahi to widen up in consulting other leaders of the APC in the South-East geopolitical zone for necessary strategies as he stated that more defectors from the opposition parties are coming to join the ruling party at the centre, APC.

He made the disclosure on Saturday at Abuja while clarifying journalists on why he was absent on the official day of Governor Umahi's defection to his party as one of the leaders of the APC in the South East region 


It was alleged that Kalu and Umahi were having face-off which caused the Chief Whip of the Senate's absence during the defection ceremony of the Ebonyi state governor from PDP to APC at Abakaliki town.


But Kalu said the national leadership of the APC contacted him being a leader of the party in the South East geopolitical zone and that he explained that he could not attend the event due to a national assignment he handled.

He also clarified that there was no squabble between Umahi, Rochas Okorocha, Hope Uzodinma, Ogbonnaya Onu and him (Kalu).

 “As the leader of the All Progressives Congress in the South-East, the chairman of the party called me and I told him that I was not going to attend the official defection of Governor Dave Umahi from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC because the President of the Senate had asked me to preside over a committee on the 2021 budget.

“The Nigerian budget is more important than the official declaration ceremony. I’m very happy that Governor Umahi has defected. I have already called and congratulated him for defecting. I don’t have any issues with Governor Umahi.

“I helped in the development of the security architecture which the governor is implementing to tackle insecurity in the state. I will host Umahi to a dinner in my house tomorrow (Sunday). Some media reports of a possible faceoff between Umahi and me is trash.

“I want him to consult other leaders like Ogbonnaya Onu, Rochas Okorocha, Hope Uzodinma and others. We are united and we are very happy to receive Governor Umahi and we are still expecting more governors," Kalu said.