Kalu defends Tinubu reforms and predicts 2027 landslide

Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, acknowledging that Nigerians are facing hunger and hardship while predicting Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election by a landslide. Kalu made the remarks during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, where he argued that economic reforms had stabilised Nigeria’s economy at the macroeconomic level but had yet to improve conditions for households and businesses.

Kalu, a senator representing Abia North and a member of the All Progressives Congress, said hardship was occurring alongside what he described as greater economic stability. He said the government’s next task was to turn that stability into economic growth and better living conditions. His assessment of the reforms and their effects was his own; the reports of his remarks did not provide independent economic data to verify it.

He said manufacturers could plan operations more reliably because foreign-exchange and fuel prices had stabilised. At the same time, he acknowledged that factories were not generating enough revenue to pay workers’ salaries. He said factories were performing better than in 2020, and argued that...