‘He’s Not Sick’ – Kalu Replies Senator Who Argued President-elect Tinubu Was Hospitalized

• Archbishop Kaigama describes Senate Chief Whip as God’s project in the making

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has said that the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is not on sick bed. He tasked the church to work with the government for the entrenchment of peace and development in the country.

Speaking during the celebration of Mass to mark his 63rd birthday in Abuja, presided over by the Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, Kalu said: “Our President-elect is not sick. It is not true that he’s sick. I don’t want to say much. He is in good health; he is himself.”

Recalling a conversation that ensued between him and his colleague in the Senate regarding the President-elect’s health, Kalu said: “One of my colleagues said yesterday he heard that the President-elect, Tinubu, was in the hospital. I told him the incoming president was not in the hospital; it is not true that he is in hospital. We argued. He is a senior member of the Senate and my former colleague as governor, but of another party. He disagreed with me in my house yesterday. I told him the President-elect was okay.”

Kalu said Tinubu would be arriving Nigeria before the end of the month, declaring: “He is in good health. He is just resting and taking his time to be able to plan his government because there is a lot of task to be done. We have a lot of problems on our hands. We have problem of economy; we have problem of disagreement, people-by-people; we have the problem of security which is awesome. We need to tackle it as soon as possible.”

Earlier, Kalu said the focus of All Progressives Congress (APC) will be reconciliation, peace and the security of the people of Nigeria. He said: “We need to secure the people of Nigeria; we need to think about the masses; we need to think about the women; we need to think about the society and we need to think about the less privileged. We need to think deeply that people must eat.”

On his re-election to the Senate, Kalu said: “I nearly lost election in my constituency and this is where I had been governor for eight years. It is something I have to talk about. Please pardon me that I have to use today.

“I won because of goodwill, the people and BVAS. I didn’t do anything extraordinary on election day. I was in my house; there was no money to give to anybody. I had no agents in the polling units because there was no money to pay agents. It was just the grace of God.

“Senator Abaribe is here. It is the same fate he faced. What gave us victory, both of us, were the people and the BVAS.”

In his remarks, Archbishop Kaigama said Kalu is God’s project in the making.

According to the priest, “being a member of the Senate, they have an enormous responsibility. He has to shine, he has to be very impactful in the Senate, so we hope that he will drive the process of making Nigeria a better place.

“We are eager, we are thirsting, we are hungry for a better Nigeria and I think he is one person that can do that through his enormous contributions in the Senate.

“So, whatever role he plays in the Senate, let him play it well and maximally so that we can have that desired change for a better Nigeria.”

In attendance at the Mass were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige; the Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie; and the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye.

Also in attendance were the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe; the Senator representing Benue North East and former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam; former Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Chuka Odom; Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Uche Ekwunife, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh; former National Chairman of the defunct Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Larry Esin, and former Chief of Staff, Abia State, Mascot Uzor Kalu, among others.

(Saturday Sun, excluding headline)