2023 Presidency: What I told Tinubu When He Visited Me, Senator Orji Kalu Finally Opens Up

2023 Presidency: What I told Tinubu When He Visited Me, Senator Orji Kalu Finally Opens Up

  • Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has said he told Asiwaju Bola Tinubu he was not going to contest for president when the former Lagos governor visited him in November 2021
  • Kalu said he later changed his mind and decided to contest due to "circumstances" in parts of the country
  • The APC chieftain also said he does see Tinubu who had earlier declared interest in the presidency as a threat to his ambition

A presidential aspirant, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has opened up on what he told Asiwaju Bola Tinubu when the latter paid him a visit in November 2021.

While appearing as a guest on Channels TV on Friday, February 4, Kalu said he told Tinubu that he was not going to contest for president.

Read also

2023: Time Osinbajo will announce presidential bid, his instruction on Tinubu revealed

2023 Presidency: Tinubu Is Not a Threat, Senator Orji Kalu Says
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says he told Asiwaju Bola Tinubu he was not going to contest for president when the former Lagos governor visited him. Photo credit: Senator Orji Uzor Kalu
Source: UGC

He said:

“I told Tinubu that I was not going to run, that is the truth.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

“It was circumstance from the southeast, southwest, northwest, northcentral, and northeast that made me decide to join the race."

Tinubu not a threat to my 2023 presidential bid - Kalu

Meanwhile, Senator Kalu also said Tinubu who is also a presidential will not be a hindrance to him in his bid to become the next president.

Asked if he sees the former governor as a threat, Kalu answered:

“No! and I am not a threat to his ambition. By the time we meet in Eagles Square, this issue will be settled.
“Mind you, politics is not only about money; it is about the people you are going to govern … the people of the northwest, the people of northeast, the people of northcentral, the people of the south-east, the people of the south-west, and the people of south-south, and we have the people. I can move the people and the people are with me.”

Read also

2023: Influential PDP presidential aspirant visits hometown 49 years after to declare ambition

2023: Did Tinubu get favourable feedback from Buhari, Babangida? Presidency source reveals outcome

Meanwhile, barely three weeks after declaring his presidential ambition, Tinubu's plan to succeed President Buhari in 2023 seems to be shaking.

Legit.ng reports that a source at the Presidential Villa who pleaded anonymity revealed on Monday, January 31, that the APC chieftain did not get the response he expected from the president during his last visit to the Villa where he announced his intention to run for the country’s number one seat.

The source stated that there is really nothing hidden in the whole thing, saying that the pressure on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from Tinubu’s camp is because Buhari did not respond favourably to Asiwaju’s request.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Nurudeen Lawal avatar

Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.