“From Mockery to Milestone: Orji Kalu Reflects on APC’s Growth in the South-East”

Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has recounted his early political struggles in the All Progressives Congress (APC), recalling how he was mocked in 2016 for joining the then-unpopular party in the South-East.

Speaking on Journalists’ Hangout anchored by Babajide Otitoju on Monday, the Abia North Senator said he was the only major political figure from the South-East to embrace the APC at the time, a move that attracted ridicule and criticism.

“When I joined the APC in 2016, I was the only South-East leader in the party. People mocked me, called me names, and said I was crazy for joining a party with no governor or lawmaker from our region,” Kalu said.

He noted that his persistence and faith in the party eventually paid off. “In 2019, I became the first senator from the South-East elected on the APC platform, and today, the story is different — the zone now boasts APC governors, senators, and House members,” he added.