BREAKING: I Have Forgiven T.A. Orji — Orji Kalu

Senator-elect for Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, who today, received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) in Abuja says he has put an end to the political enmity between him and his successor, Sen. Theodore Ahamefula Orji.

The former governor of Abia State who won the March 9 National Assembly polls, after two consecutive attempts, said that he would work assiduously to re-write the history of representation as Senator in 9th assembly.

Speaking in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent in Umuahia, Orji said “I have forgiven him (Orji) for the benefit of Abia people and we are going to work as one family in the Senate in the interest of Abia and Nigeria.

“We are going to have a robust relationship in the Senate because the interest of Abia and Abians is uppermost to me.”

ORIENTAL TIMES understands that Kalu and Orji, who succeeded him in 2007 as Abia governor, had been arch- enemies for almost a decade due to political differences.

But today Orji said, “There is a lot of work to do for my constituency and we shall work to support the programmes of the Federal Government to ensure they succeed,”

Kalu, who was a member of the House of Representatives in the aborted Third Republic, promised that the ninth Senate would reverse the unnecessary delay in the passage of the annual budget.

He also said the Senate would ensure that the Appropriation Bills received expeditious considerations, once they were presented by the president.

“The consideration and passage of budget estimates would not exceed three months. Once the president presents the bill in September, by December we would have concluded the consideration.

“By so doing, the budget would be ready by January for the president’s assent,” Kalu said.

He said that during the consideration of the budget, the ministers would be restrained from embarking on overseas trips.

“They must be available during the budget defense. They would not be allowed to travel overseas until the budget is ready,” Kalu said.

He said that his membership of the Senate would be remarkable, saying that he would strive to build harmonious relationship among all the ethnic nationalities in the National Assembly.