Chief Whip of the Senate and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has dismissed claims that the All Progressive Party was in panic mood ahead of Saturday’s presidential election.
Kalu, who spoke yesterday from Igberre, Abia State during a live interview monitored on Channels Television boasted that APC was ready for the election and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu remains the best candidate to beat, saying the ruling party was unperturbed by what the opposition party was saying.
He said APC was a calculative party and on track for the election, adding that it was not in any way interested in any distraction for any quarter.
Kalu dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the naira redesign policy would have an adverse effect on the chances of the party and its Presidential candidate at the polls, saying the party is larger in number assuring that Tinubu is the next president of Nigeria.
He maintained that his confidence is premised on the huge followership and support across the country.
“The backing of the northern governors and lawmakers as well as huge support base of party members across the country is sufficient to deliver the votes to ensure Asiwaju Tinubu’s victory,” he enthused.
On the controversial naira redesign, he said, if he were the president, he would obey the Supreme Court ruling that all parties should maintain status quo.
‘‘When I was the governor of Abia State, a court asked me not to build an underground tunnel to the waterside on Obuoha road. The road up till now is still in the same state. But I had to obey the court ruling on that matter as subsequent Government didn’t touch that road but the people suffering are the masses.
“But if I was the president, I would rather obey the court of competent jurisdiction. And the court of competent jurisdiction is the final court of the land.
I have always said it, if we are dissatisfied with the Magistrate court, we go to the High court and if we are dissatisfied again, we go to the Appeal court and then to the Supreme court. And I expected that whoever has advised the President who has done so much for the South East, should have advised him to respect the ruling of the Supreme Court.’’
Kalu disagreed that despite divergent views from some APC governors on the policy, there was no division in the party., saying “the party is intact.”
He added that the governors were all on the same page with President Muhamadu Buhari, stating that the only area of disagreement was on the Supreme Court ruling.