The Chairman of the Senate Committee on South East Development Commission (SEDC), Senator Orji Kalu, has expressed confidence that Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure a second term in 2027, and begged Nigerians to support him.
Highlighting Tinubu’s economic reforms, Kalu stated that manufacturing costs have dropped from 23% last year to 18.5%, adding that the reforms are already yielding positive results.
He said, “The good news is that we shall win again and President Tinubu will return. To be honest with you, Asiwaju will win. Many Presidents in Nigeria who have not done very well—I won’t call any names—and they won their second term. We are appealing to Nigerians to support us.”
Addressing concerns about the APC’s internal politics, Kalu said, “We are not going to ruffle ourselves with the APC convention. We have only one presidential candidate which is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In line with democratic ethics, we are not looking for any other person or candidate.”
He urged Nigerians to remain patient with Tinubu’s administration, pointing to the stabilization of the exchange rate as proof of the reforms’ progress.
Kalu said, “It might be very difficult today, very hard and people are complaining but the reform is trickling down. Somebody just told me this morning that the Dollar is 1490, so the reform is working but we should be patient. I am a manufacturer and I can tell you that manufacturing costs have gone up, last year it was 23 per cent but early this year it has gone down to about 18.5 per cent. You can confirm from the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCCI) that what I am giving you is the real fact.”
He added, “I believe that there is hope in these reforms. It is difficult everywhere in the world but the most important thing is that initially they were done in a hurry, now the President is taking time with his economic team and you can see that the President is making wider consultations.”
Kalu also praised Babangida for debunking the narrative that the Igbo tribe masterminded the 1966 coup, which led to the military’s overthrow of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa’s civilian administration.
He said, “Because people are thinking that Babangida lied, but I am very grateful the coup they called Igbo coup has been clarified. Although I don’t need Babangida to tell me that the coup was not executed by the Igbos, that is why I am a true Nigerian. That coup was a Nigerian coup planned and executed by the military and some people failed to do their job and the Igbos are bearing the brunt and that is not fair to the Igbos.”
On the June 12 election and Babangida’s role, Senator Kalu said, “I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities. I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election declaration. The coup in question was not an Igbo coup; it was a Nigerian coup, executed by the military. Moshood Abiola won that election, and there is no doubt about it.”
