The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, says any call for him to contest the governorship of Abia State will have to come from the party.
Speaking with journalists in his Bende town, Bende LGA, Kalu said that while the governorship is important, his political ambition extends beyond holding the office.
“It is the call from the party that will make me run if they find me worthy. Political ambition does not end with being a governor. I can fit in beyond being a governor. It is not the ultimate. I have no business being in politics except serving the people.
“What we face now is governance, and my mandate is to get the job done,” he said, citing his responsibilities in the House, which he described as an enormous task.
He said, “It is not yet time to declare for anything, but it is time for governance and engaging with my people to find out their problems.”
On persuading the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to join the All Progressives Congress, Kalu said, “I was asking him to join APC because he was one of us who strengthened the party in Abia State. His joining APC will open more doors to our people,” adding that the state is currently isolated at the Federal level “on things that will benefit Abia.”
He added, “Otti is my friend. My call for him to join the APC is borne out of sincerity of purpose. If he had heeded that call, I don’t think Abia would be disadvantaged. I am wooing him to come.
“But as he has refused, the party will choose somebody. I have spoken to him several times, and I meant well for him, but we cannot extend the invitation forever. I am not self-centred; otherwise, I would not be inviting him to come and take over.”
Fielding questions on the chances of a South East person becoming Nigeria’s next president after Bola Tinubu, Kalu urged the people of the region to extend their hands in fellowship to other zones to gain support for the initiative.
On local government autonomy, the Deputy Speaker noted gaps in LG administration across the country, stating that when local governments function effectively, there will be less work for governors.
He commended South East governors for their efforts in maintaining peace in the zone, an aspiration aligned with his PISE-P (Peace in South East Programme).
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com