Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu has urged Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State to put aside political differences with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the sake of the state’s development.
Speaking during the commissioning of the newly built Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the renovated Zamfara College of Arts and Science in Gusau on Monday, Kalu warned that Zamfara could miss out on critical federal support if the governor continues on a collision course with the presidency.
Senator Orji, who is also a former governor of Abia State and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emphasised that his advice was not for Lawal to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but to build a working relationship with President Tinubu, who leads the APC and the federal government.
“I’m not asking you to leave the PDP. Stay in your party, but connect with the President for the benefit of your people,” Kalu said.
Citing his own experience as a former PDP governor who maintained cordial relations with Tinubu during his time in the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Kalu stressed the importance of political collaboration for economic gains.
“The President is not just my brother; he’s my friend. We’ve had our political differences, but we have moved past them. I advise you to do the same — not for personal reasons, but for Zamfara’s progress,” he added.
Kalu recounted personal ties with Tinubu, recalling that his children once lived with the Tinubu family while schooling in Lagos. “Mrs. Tinubu helped raise them because we lived in Abia, but they studied in Lagos and stayed at the President’s house in Marina,” he shared.
He encouraged Governor Lawal to embrace what he described as “political economics,” leveraging cordial federal relationships to attract more development projects and federal funding to Zamfara.
“You are Zamfara’s governor before you’re a PDP member. Do your politics, but prioritize development,” he advised.
