From Okey Sampson, Aba
former governor of Abia state and the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Abia North, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has reacted to the purported endorsement of the presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Kalu said it is wrong to politicise the apex Igbo body.
Speaking with newsmen at his Camp Neya countryhome in Igbere, Bende Local Government, yesterday, Kalu said he was surprised that Chief John Nnia Nwodo, whom he said he knew closely, could be involved in such decision.
“I was very surprised that Chief John Nnia Nwodo, whom I have a lot of respect for, could do such because that is not the right thing to do.
“You know this man is a very close friend of mine; I used to sleep in his house whenever I am in Enugu. Ohanaeze is a cultural organization; it has nothing to do with politics. What they just did now implies that we are going to have two Ohanaezes, or we are going to have another organisation in a different name?
“I will be in consultation with Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State and other people of goodwill from Igboland, to decide what we will do next. We are not going to accept it. These are card-carrying members of PDP; they cannot use Ohanaeze to endorse a candidate, it’s not acceptable to us.
“We want a level playing ground. I expected Ohanaeze to be neutral. Whoever wins, then, they support him. I’m not even expecting them to endorse Buhari; we want them to be neutral because neutrality is the game plan in every independent, cultural association.”
Kalu, however, added that Ohanaeze’s stance would neither influence the voting pattern in the zone nor divide the electorate from the South East.
“How many people are in Ohanaeze? How many people listen to Ohanaeze? Our people know what to do, we’ve talked to them— the churches, the clergy, everybody know what to do.
“Nwodo Jnr., having served as a political adviser to Shagari and as a former minister to General Abdulsalam, is a very intelligent man. I don’t need to put him down. I know he’s a very smart man but, why he made that mistake is what I don’t know. He owes me some explanations the day I see him, he’s like my brother.”
Kalu insisted that contrary to insinuations, President Muhammadu Buhari does not hate the people of the South East because Buhari has been doing what former presidents failed to do for the region in 16 years.
He cited the ongoing rehabilitation of the Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-Onitsha expressways and construction of the second Niger Bridge as some of Buhari’s major projects in the South East.
Kalu added that most the ongoing road projects in the state are being done by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); as approved by Buhari and assured that people of the region would massively vote for Buhari on February 16.
He expressed optimism that APC would record landslide victory in Abia, during the 2019 general election.