What is the controversy between the Abia
PDP Chapter, and the former governor of Abia state? What exactly is the
problem?
Well,
I do not see any controversy at all. The truth of the matter is that former
governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, is not a member of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, of which I am the state chairman. I know that he made efforts but
unfortunately for him, he met the very wrong people; people who have already
resigned from the party, and they said they issued a card to him. It is
unfortunate because I believe they have duped him. Who knows how much he gave
to them because I just noticed some desperation on his part. And it makes you
wonder why any person should be desperate. I have heard people talk about
freedom of association, I begin to wonder whether we understand what it is all
about. It is about two people. Or more than two people agreeing to come
together. It is not about somebody from outside insisting you must be my wife,
I must be your boyfriend, I must come into your house. It doesn’t work that
way. You have to bring an application. I was in the church this morning, Roman
Catholic Church, and after normal service, and it was time for holy sacrament,
they said if you were not of Roman Catholic faith you could not partake of it.
It is also like that in a political party because if you even go through a
section of the constitution that talks about freedom of association, you will
see clearly where it talked about political parties, where it said that even
INEC can use conditions. So it is not a free party, it is not something you
just walk in any how. Even the PDP makes it quite clear that at the ward level,
you can be rejected. So it is not an automatic thing. We have to look at your
antecedent, we have to find out whether your mind is with us because you are
talking about a people who have a common agenda working together to actualize
it. You are coming into our house, and already you are abusing the leader of
the party who is the state governor. You said the party chairman can go to
blazes. You call us all sorts of names you say you want to come and take over
the party. Can’t you smell trouble? So if we don’t want such a person into our party,
how can anybody blame us?
It seems you don’t believe that the more
the merrier?
I
have told you already. He wants to come back, and from outside, he is abusing everyone
of us inside. The retired Generals in the party, the elders of the party-he is
abusing every person, he is abusing the leader of the party. If you want to
marry a wife and her first step is already abusing your mother, your father,
you have to be careful; you can’t bring such a person into your house because that
is disaster foretold. So if you can stop it, why not? We have this strong
feeling that his PPA is still waxing strong, and that he is a member of PPA,
and that all he wants to do is come and cause confusion in PDP and while we are
struggling with that, they will then use their PPA to do whatsoever they want
to do. So we are very conscious of that. The day he said he joined the PDP, the
man who was there welcoming him, Sam Nkire, is the National Chairman of the
PPA. So if you are coming into PDP, and you have chairman of your party (PPA)
welcoming you into PDP, something is wrong. Can’t you see the contradiction?
Can’t you see there is something awful he has in mind? At times he says he
built this house, that is the PDP, for Christ sake, if you marry a woman, if
you marry somebody, and somewhere along the line you separate, even when you
come back there must be conditions. You don’t just come back, and say this is
my wife. If you were a wife beater, if you don’t provide for your wife, if you
did not do what you are supposed to do to consummate a marriage, for Christ’s
sake, you don’t just walk back and say you are taking her back. We are talking
about a political party, you see, PDP is a movement not just a political party.
It is a movement and if it is moving and you stand in the way, it has a way of
crushing you and moving on; not like PPA where a family calls the shot. No!
Everybody in PDP is somebody. Everybody’s vote counts, and we consult, we reach
consensus before we do anything in PDP. So a situation where you walk away and
think you can just walk in like that, I mean, it doesn’t work.
Those that registered him, were members
of your party?
Yes,
they were; but they resigned. They went to the local government party chairman
at Bende local government, that was on the 10th of January to say
they were no more with the PDP. You know, God has His own way of doing things.
At times, I hear people say it is not possible that the entire executive can
resign. But they don’t know anything about mystery. For instance, when Abacha
was alive, we had all the political parties in Nigeria saying he was their presidential
candidate. What was wrong about that? Even in Abia state here, I had the
Executive members of APGA declare for PDP. I received them here, the entire
executive. Are they not coming from one party to another? So, if you decide you
want to leave our party, there is free entry, there is free exit, we don’t have
to question you why you are going, but the important thing is that they moved,
and before moving, they returned party membership registers to Chief Ihendu who
is Chairman of the party at Bende, Orji is from Bende. So they returned the
registers to him. In fact I had the registers here, the day I addressed a press
conference, I brought out the registers because after returning the registers
to him, it was brought to me, and we searched and we didn’t see his name there.
So if he is carrying our card, he is an imposter, we don’t know where he got
the card from. If you are not in the register, you are not a member of our
party. Assuming tomorrow we want to hold primary, and you just brandish a card,
and say you are of the PDP, it is like INEC register, you may have a card, but
during the voting time, they have to look through the register, if your name is
not there, you cannot vote. They can even arrest you to find out how you got
the card.
Why do you think he wants to come back
to the party?
I
am not a mind reader. What we know clearly is that he still belongs to PPA. And
then, for us why we say no is that he is so abusive, even from outside. Every
person knows he owns a newspaper, and you can see all the columnists in there
falling over themselves just to support him as if I can just walk in and say I
want to be made an Editor and I will be made an editor immediately. There are
rules, there are things you have to do to become a member. If I quit as editor,
I cannot walk in and force myself again on the publication.
It
won’t work. That is the point I am making. You are coming from outside, but you
keep abusing all of us, calling us rouges, all of us are not doing well-you are
the only one. And we are talking about a political party. In fact one of his
writers even wrote, and called him the Chief of Abia state. I hope God will forgive
him.
Now, I hear three alleged reasons why he
wants to come back to the PDP. Number one is that he wants to be a Senator,
number two is that he wants to install a successor to the current governor in
2015. Number three is that he is desirous of a President of Igbo extraction.
Whatever
his ambitions are, as far as we are concerned, we don’t care. He said he is a
wonderful politician, he floated his PPA, so he can still use that platform to
achieve whatever he wants to achieve. And you know he went on to establish what
he calls Njiko Igbo and then said he
is apolitical. It tells you something about his character-lack of consistency,
running with the hare and chasing with the dog all at the same time. It is a
huge problem. We don’t want such a person in our political party. And you know,
it is not just people from other local governments, even from his local
governments. I don’t know whether you saw the communiqué signed by everybody
who is somebody from Bende that they do not want him in PDP. Are you going to
impose yourself on us? And then if he wants to be President, he can still run
from his party, afterall in 2011 he wanted to go to the Senate and he ran
against Senator Uche Chukwumerije who beat him fair and square. So if he wants
to be president, let him come from his party, PPA. If he wants to join the PDP,
he has to convince us. But that is not even thinkable anymore because it is
already engraved in the minds of the people that all he is coming to do in PDP
is to cause trouble, and we don’t want trouble. When he was there piloting the
affairs of PDP, PDP was divided. We had the Abuja politicians, and Umuahia politicians.
But today, given the nature of Governor T.A Orji, having regard for every human
being. Every person in the eyes of Governor T.A Orji is somebody. He gives you
your due respect, that is why we have this harmony not just in the executive
branch, but also in the party because he is the leader of the party. We have a
situation where for you to become somebody, even vie for party office, you
don’t give money to any person and that is the truth. And we don’t take you to
any shrine. Let me tell you, this is a Christian state.
Were those things happening before?
Of
course. I am sure you have heard about Okija. Those things were happening. And Abians
have said, enough, no more. And there is this fear that given this antecedent,
if Orji Uzor Kalu comes back there is the possibility of dragging us back, to Egypt.
I tell you, if we make the mistake of bringing him back to PDP those who are our
members, and even non-card carrying members of the society will run away from
PDP. We don’t want that. We want to build PDP.
Are they afraid of him?
They
are not afraid of him. They do not want anything to do with idolatory. That is
the issue. Didn’t he run, didn’t he present a candidate for governorship in 2011?
So no person is afraid of him. He knows. I heard him say that he brought me
into PDP but what he forgot to tell them is that I was in the Senate when he
was a member of House of Representatives. So who is leading who?
He
reels out what he did for Governor T.A. Orji. Why does he not reel out what
T.A. Orji did for him? He should tell the public what the governor did for him
as INEC’s Administrative Secretary in Enugu.
He should also tell the world why the EFCC detained T.A. Orji. Where did
Governor T.A. Orji go wrong with him? Where? It is simple. The man refused to
hand over Abia to him. Nothing more.
Now, one of the things he said in a
recent interview with a national paper is that the former President, General
Obasanjo did not want the present governor of Abia state to be governor. And
that Obasanjo had called him to bring his younger brother who was in the House
of Representatives to be the governor?
Do
you believe that? When he was governor here, he was fighting with Obasanjo on a
daily basis. And recently, he told us that the reason why he is coming back to
the PDP is because Obasanjo is no longer the BOT Chair. That is what I am
telling you about having no respect for any person. For Christ’s sake, this man
has been President, let us give him that respect, if for nothing else. Assuming
he is coming into PDP, are we going to say because of him, we wont associate
with Obasanjo again because he is still a member of our party, and we hold him
in high esteem. I mean, a man who had been Head of State under the military,
and the civilian president, there must be something about the person, so you
respect the person. For you to suddenly remember he wanted you to be governor
forever, or bring a goat to be governor, is not consistent with logic.
He accuses his successor of betrayal
I
know that the mandate Governor T.A. Orji is exercising comes from the people.
If you played a role in that, that is just what it is. He doesn’t have to
beholden to you as a person, he is beholder to the people of Abia state. If
betrayal means not carrying the resources of Abia state and giving it to one
person, and using it to work for the people of Abia, you can see the accolades
coming the way of the governor. You can see structures, iconic structures in
Abia state. For the eight years Orji Uzor KAlu was governor, the only iconic
structure we used for all our advertisements was the Tower built by Ogbonnaya
Onu. He didn’t leave any behind. He didn’t leave anything so that if you
prepare a calendar, you have to use the Tower. If you prepare anything you have
to use the tower. But our problem
now is which of the structures do we choose? Do we choose the modern court
buildings? Do we choose the Secretariat? Under him, for good eight years, civil
servants were operating from makeshifts structure. But right now, we are
building those things that make a state, we are building even a Government
House. I don’t know if you have gone to my governor’s parlour? This place is
bigger than it, but this governor, within two years of becoming a member of the
PDP see what he is doing. Infact, I am so happy that I am running a party Orji
finds beautiful to be part of. Unfortunately, like my people will say, it is
like you are going to somewhere but before you get to that place, you defecate
on your way; you cannot be allowed in. That is what Orji Uzor Kalu has done. Because
when you are coming back, you have to march on your mess? That is the issue.
And stain the house?
(Laughs).
That is what we are running away from.
Now, I am surprised, you are talking
about his legacies. He always talked about Housing Estates. And he always
talked about Aba
Who?
Orji Kalu, the former governor. He said
he built so many Housing Estates.
It
is there for you to see. The Housing Commissioner is there. I thank God the
Commissioner for Works is here. He will take you around. Compare what T.A Orji
has done within two years of exercising power and governor under PDP. You know
that is one thing about PDP. We believe in democracy. We enjoy internal
democracy. Here you do not push your governor around. You know when he was with
them, talking about betrayal, you got your party chairman to write a letter to
a sitting governor, and publish it in newspapers, is that not humiliation. So
who can you say betrayed who? And you have access to him you could easily have
gone into the house….. and which is what I enjoy. You were there and saw me
discussing with my governor, so why should I go to the pages of newspapers? You
saw when his Commissioner for Works came in, they sat and talked like partners.
Before now the Commissioner for Works won’t know where the roads are, and when
the contracts are awarded for roads. He will just meet you sitting in the
parlour eating with somebody, and a contractor comes in and he says ah! You go and do Gumel road, ah! Go and do this road. No design,
nothing. The civil servants were not involved in what was going on. But now, we
are running government the way it should be run. Civil servants doing their
bit, Commissioners doing their bit, with records.
Now le me ask; if he decides to go to
the new party, APC, doesn’t that pose a threat to the PDP in the state?
Talking
about APC, I pity them. We are not against competition. Let them come let us compete.
Not just talking about Abia state, I know that at the federal level, come 2015,
PDP will retain power. You see, these people are like a house built on sandy
foundation, it will soon collapse. Already, they have made it clear to us that
they are not going to practice democracy in that party because already you know
that Muhammed Buhari will be the presidential candidate. And then you know that
Bola Tinubu will be his running mate then what is there for other people? All
others will just be there to go and canonize them. When it comes to that, every
person will begin to fight. So that party is not going to stand the test of
time. I have forgotten who exactly, but a member of the so-called party I don’t
know why I even call it party because they have not met the conditions for
registration, a member of the party that may come to be said that some of them
have plan B. that is exactly what
I am telling you that it is going to collapse. And talking about not allowing
any person to come, you know that they allowed ANPP reluctantly to be part of
this proposed marriage. Buhari did not want them. Then talking of APGA, you
know that our brother Rochas is just there on his own. PDP owns Imo state; we
have majority of the people in the House of Assembly, don’t mind that they have
to say they are APGA. At times, it is good so that you, don’t have anarchy. You
know lets just continue. But whether he can bribe them into the so called mega
party is another kettle of fish entirely. I don’t see him dragging them. In any
case, people like Uche Ekwunife, Chris Anyanwu and the rest have said that they
don’t know what he is talking about. So the thing will just collapse before it
gets on. And I know that Orji Uzor Kalu would not want to be there. My advice
to him is to continue with his PPA. Since he said that he is the be that all and end all in PDP, let him
replicate it in PPA, and make it a strong national party. Why is he running
back? Does it mean he can only build one house? Let him build another one and
make it as beautiful as the other one. Particularly, he said he has all the connections,
he has the resources, we are happy for him, but let him stay there and fight
us, let him not come inside and start a fight. Because even in the constitution
of the PDP, there are things you cannot do like criticize the party any how
when we have channels. Even in a home; there is nothing strange about it, you
don’t talk to your father any how. You don’t talk to your mother any how. You
must talk to them respectfully. You don’t have to go and wash your dirty linen
outside assuming you have any. That is the man you want us to admit into our
party? No way!
I have heard some people talk about the
APC and one of the Southeast governors. I have heard some people say that it is
a total betrayal of the Igbo cause, a total betrayal of the symbol of APGA. The
symbol of APGA, of course, we are talking about the late Ikemba.
Onyeaghala
Nwannaya, you know that is their motto.
And that Ojukwu took APGA as an Igbo
party, something for the kindreds. Even though some governors are of the PDP,
they had the same cause, the same motive. Like in 2011, they decided that
everybody would support the PDP presidential candidate that no true Igbo son
should go to any other party. Now Imo state governor joining the APC, they
think it is the total betrayal of the Igbo spirit. What is your opinion?
I
don’t want to discuss Ojukwu and APGA or even Rochas. But I agree with you that
this is a betrayal of the Igbo cause if what you want is to produce a president
of Igbo extraction. Because as I told you, we already know the presidential
candidate of APC is from the North, Buhari, and we know that the Vice President
is coming from the South west, Bola Tinubu. Where does that leave the Igboman?
No where! This our party, PDP belongs to Ndigbo.
Jonathan
is Ijaw, but he is Igbo. He has shown it in different ways. Come back to look
at it, look at the important positions we are holding under the PDP, Chief of
Army Staff, until recently, Comptroller-General of Immigration, the Finance
Minister, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Stock Exchange,
you have AMCON, aviation Health,
Stock Exchange, Due Process, Debt Management Office, DMO. Jonathan gave Ojukwu a
state burial, a burial fit for a president.
Before 2015, we’ll get the second Niger
Bridge. He completed the
Onitsha Dry Port. And still counting. The APC cannot give it to you. Whether it
is Codein or APC. I don’t know, but they cannot give it to you. If they have
stopped using codeine to cure malaria and all that, I don’t know why they are
prescribing APC to us, APC is outdated also (laughter). We are moving forward
not APC. PDP is the place to be for Igbo, for Nigeria. This is the longest period
we have had democracy in Nigeria
and that is under PDP. Occasionally, we have our misunderstanding, conflict is
part of life. The important thing is your ability to overcome. PDP will
overcome, it will overcome APC.
You continually said that the governor
has been a PDP governor for just two years. But the argument has been that he has
been a governor for six years.
You
see when he was governor for first term, he was under PPA. And you know what it
is like when your platform is privately owned. You will expect that most things
will be done to feather the nest of the owners. But here in PDP, as I told you,
it is like a PLC. Every person has an interest here. And then again, you are
dealing with a man who, for the four years he was governor under the platform
of the PPA, was always feeling so bad that he was not given a free hand to
really deliver the dividends of democracy to Ndi Abia. So now that he is here, one thing we have all guaranteed
him is peace of mind. And no person tells him to bring government resources so
that a few will just sit down and share. We know that what will carry us to
2015, and give us victory, are the legacies he is leaving behind. And he is
leaving so many of them. For him to have done in two years more than he did
under PPA tells a lot of story. And just imagine he has two more years to go. I
leave it to you to imagine what Abia will become by 2015. whether it is APC or Codeine or
whatever, no party can take Abia away from the PDP. No party.
Culled from The Source
