2027: Party loyalty comes before ethnicity — Kalu

Former Abia State Governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu.

The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress takes precedence over ethnic and regional considerations, insisting that he has no obligation to support Igbo politicians contesting elections under other political parties.

Kalu, a former Abia State governor, made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday while discussing his political allegiance, support for President Bola Tinubu and the position of Igbo politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The senator said he remained committed to the APC and would not abandon the party to support candidates contesting under other platforms, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

Responding to questions about whether he would support Igbo politicians seeking political offices outside the APC, Kalu said such decisions were entirely theirs to make.

“No, no, that is their business. It is purely their business. I am not in the political party where they are contesting. Why should they call my name? I am in a different political party,” he said.

He explained that he had previously belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party and the Progressive Peoples Alliance before joining the APC, stressing that his political allegiance was now firmly with the ruling party.

“I was in PDP. I was in PPA, and my third political party is APC. So, if I am in these parties and you want me to go and support somebody in APGA, you must be sick in your mind. You must be dreaming,” he added.

Kalu maintained that party loyalty was his foremost political consideration, arguing that politicians should remain committed to the platforms under which they operate.

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Asked whether party loyalty, ethnic solidarity or the political benefits of power mattered most to him, the senator said he was an Igbo man who had consistently defended the interests of his people but would not allow ethnicity to determine his political choices.

“I am an Igbo man by birth. I have served Igbos. I have fought for the Igbos. It is because of the Igbos that Ambassador John damaged all my businesses, took all the banks, took all the airlines, took everything I had and revoked the licences,” he said.

He, however, insisted that his support for the Igbo people did not translate into an obligation to back every Igbo politician seeking elective office.

“I support the Igbo. I am APC. If an Igbo wants to support any other Igbo who is running, that is his business. It is not my business. My business is to support in the party where I am.

“Party loyalty is number one. I cannot be ethnically loyal. I am a Nigerian, and we must behave like Nigerians,” Kalu stated.

He further explained that his approach to ethnic identity depended on the environment, saying he identified with his Igbo roots in his community but embraced his broader Nigerian identity when interacting with people from other parts of the country.

“When I am in my village, I am an Igbo man. When I am in Abia, ethnic loyalty in Abia. When I come to Lagos, I will remove ethnic loyalty to be a Nigerian so I can fit in with other Nigerians,” he said.

Kalu’s comments come amid discussions about political alignments and the role of ethnic and regional considerations in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.