From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
A support group of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Volunteers Group (AVG), has backed the former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu to become the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.
The Cross River State Coordinator of the group, George Ichichere Sunday, in a statement made available to newsmen, stated that Kalu is the most qualified among other contenders.
The statement noted that Kalu, apart from being a ranking senator and a principal officer in the Red Chamber, is the most fully prepared for the task ahead.
The release added, “We need a Senate President that understands the country; a detribalised Nigerian with the charisma and capacity to complement the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his vice, Kassim Shettima, and that man is Senator Kalu.”
The statement further said, “Kalu is a respected Igbo leader whose emergence will silence agitations by the South Easterners of being marginalised by the APC.
“Senator Orji Kalu is experienced when compared with other members from other geo-political zones and he has built bridges across the country.
“We are confident that if elected, Orji Kalu’s position as Senate President would also go a long way to douse the pockets of misgivings over the emergence of the South West and the North East as the President-elect and Vice President-elect of the country”, the group said.
They further stated, “The best way to win the confidence of the Christians and the South Easterners is for the ruling APC to support the Senate Chief Whip to become the next Senate President,” adding that this will calm the nerves of the people of the South East.