Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and Senator representing Abia North, has rejected calls from the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) urging him to run for president in 2027.

The NYLF, a coalition of 40 groups, made the request after a courtesy visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The group’s President, Comrade Eliot Afiyo, named Obasanjo as its patron and listed Kalu and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as their preferred contenders for the 2027 presidency. The group also suggested that the Governors of Zamfara and Adamawa States, Dauda Lawal and Umar Fintiri, serve as running mates.

However, in a statement issued on Thursday by his media office and signed by George Maduka, Senator Kalu firmly dissociated himself from any presidential ambition, reiterating his commitment to supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Kalu emphasized that there is no division within the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding the party’s 2027 presidential candidate and urged the opposition to refrain from using his name for political distractions.

The statement read in part: “Nigerian politics operates within a framework of a federal and presidential system, allowing citizens the right to vote and be voted for. Senator Kalu has the right to decide what position he should be considered for, and the presidency in 2027 is not one of them. He has publicly endorsed President Tinubu for re-election and remains committed to the work required to support him.”

Kalu further expressed confidence in Tinubu’s economic reforms, stating that achieving long-term stability, inclusivity, and adaptability requires the President to serve a full eight-year tenure.

“Since Nigeria’s return to democracy, no leader has shown the courage to reform the dwindling economy as Tinubu has. Kalu believes the best Nigerians can do is to support and re-elect the President in 2027 to complete the good work he has started.”

The former Abia State Governor also highlighted his long-standing friendship with Tinubu, dating back to their time as governors in 1999, and reaffirmed his unwavering support for the President’s progressive economic policies.