The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has denied endorsing Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, the former governor of Abia State, as its favored candidate for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly.
In response to a statement made by Alhaji Yerima Shettima, leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Musa Saidu, a member of the ACF, on Monday, refuted the claim that the ACF had endorsed Kalu for the position.
“I want to say without fear of contradiction, that the ACF has no youth wing and there was no time that we sat to make Shettima the AYCF leader.
“The ACF has not endorsed Kalu as the next Senate President, because we have our own ways of doing things.
“It is shocking to hear Shettima asking Sen. Abdulaziz Yari to step down for Kalu in the race for Senate Presidency,” he said.
Saidu, who is also the leader of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria, expressed that the ACF would have preferred the position to be zoned to the North, considering its significant contribution to President Bola Tinubu’s success in the February 25 election.
“The North contributed the highest votes for Tinubu in the presidential election, so we can’t just endorse candidates from other zones for the Senate presidency.
“How can we work for Tinubu to become president and then turn around to start campaigning for other zones to become Senate President?”.
“In fact, the Vice-President slot given to the North is just like a spare tyre, everybody in Nigeria knows that the position has not much value”.
“Since the North West gave Tinubu the highest votes, then it should be given Senate Presidency, the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is too small for the zone,” he said.
Saidu added:” It is a payback time for the North, so it should be given the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly.
“For fairness and justice, the North should be considered for the Senate Presidency and Sen. Abdulaziz Yari should be endorsed for the position.”
