Arewa denies backing Kalu for senate presidency

In a statement issued on Monday, May 05, 2023, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) refuted claims that they had endorsed former Abia governor, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, as their preferred candidate for the Senate Presidency of the 10th National Assembly. Alhaji Musa Saidu, a member of the forum, made this clarification in Abuja.

The ACF's denial was in response to a statement attributed to Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the purported leader of the Arewa Youth Conservative Forum (AYCF), who claimed that the ACF had officially backed Kalu for the position.

Saidu firmly stated that the ACF does not have a youth wing and at no time did they appoint Shettima as the AYCF leader. He dismissed the claims made by Shettima, labeling them as false.

Furthermore, Saidu asserted that the ACF had not endorsed Orji Uzor Kalu as the next Senate President. He emphasised that the forum follows its own established procedures and would not be influenced by external demands.

Saidu, who is also the leader of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria, expressed the preference of the ACF for the Senate Presidency to be zoned to the North. He cited the North's significant contribution in securing President Bola Tinubu's victory in the February 25th election as a basis for this preference.

Stating that the North provided the highest number of votes for Tinubu, Saidu questioned the notion of supporting candidates from other zones for the Senate Presidency after working towards Tinubu's presidential success. He further expressed the opinion that the Vice-President position, allotted to the North, held little value.

According to Saidu, it is now time for the North to be reciprocated, and thus, the Senate Presidency should be granted to the North West. He argued that the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is too insignificant for the zone.