Don’t Declare Orji Kalu’s Seat Vacant — Opponent Begs NASS

The APGA candidate for Abia North Senatorial seat in the 2019 general elections, Dr. David Bourdex, has appealed to the National Assembly not to declare vacant the seat occupied by Orji Uzor Kalu.

Bourdex, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), made the appeal on Monday.

Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on December 5, 2019, sentenced Orji Kalu to 12 years in jail for stealing N7.2bn from the coffers of Abia. The ex-governor was the Chief Whip of the Senate before his incarceration.

Some groups subsequently called on the Senate leadership to declare his seat vacant.

Rejecting the call, Bourdex said that the people of Abia North made their intentions clear by voting Orji Kalu, adding that demanding for his seat to be declared vacant amounted to desperation.

“It is preposterous and presumptuous to make such a demand to declare his seat vacant.

“Granted that the wheel of justice grinds slowly and surely, those of us in politics should strive to follow the rule of law without doing anything to circumvent the process.

“We should stand for fairness; and patience is necessary to ensure that justice is done both for the state and citizens and society at large,” Bourdex said.