Nigerians are beginning to see that Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu was one governor who
saw rule as might, not might as rule. This is captured in an unreserved
apology (Friday March 09, 2012) by the National Chairman of the Progressive
Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Sam Nkire, as was reported in many of our
dailies. “PPA chairman begs Kalu not to quit party, politics” was how many
of the newspapers captioned the unbiased apology. Nkire said that it would
be a big loss to PPA, which he, Kalu raised to reckoning, if the later
continues to stay aloof from active politics.
With the apology, Nkire could be regarded as a foresighted person owing to
the political oblivion the PPA was already heading to (without Kalu?). The
party and its loquacious factional chairman in Abia State on the 16th
February, 2012, disrespected the most revered Dr. Kalu when the former
unwittingly announced that certain persons known to be connected to the
political dude (Kalu) by blood were suspended by the PPA, for what was
described as ‘Anti-Party activities’. The party said that their suspension
came on the hills of observation that those suspended were trying to put
the party in disarray.
But with the decision of the national body of the party in begging Kalu is
a pointer that the factional chairman of the party in Abia State who made
the announcement of the suspension lacked hierarchical morality since he
refused to get order from the national body before playing to the gallery
for people to laugh at him. With that shamefaced act, he was supposed to
have been cooling his heels in the gulag by now after suspension also must
have been meted out to him.
How can somebody who called himself a party chairman in a state like the
Abia not be able to coordinate the party very well? His lack of political
dexterity has culminated into thugs storming PPA’s meetings and kidnapping
some party faithful and inflicting injuries on others and destroying
valuable property. What a shame! This is a party that refused to see the
good Kalu meant in Abia State and in Nigeria, than to blackmail him.
Whereas even the police perhaps had seen PPA as unfit without Kalu, hence
they withdrew their service to secure the meeting and the alleged thugs
struck.
Juxtaposing to that, what could not happen when Dr. Kalu was governor of
Abia State are happening in the state due to the shenanigan politics the
recent administration has learnt to play better. Governor Theodore Orji of
Abia State was given an unbreakable date with stones and sachet water and
other items at the Aba Township Stadium during the lying in state of late
Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu by the mammoth crowd of residents, but his
political aides reposed to lying that he was booed and pelted by his
political opponents. Lie! Pure lie!
>From observation, he was booed and pelted by the residents because of his
lack of efficiency in governance. Who could boo or pelt Dr. Kalu if he is
acknowledging cheers from the people? It is only Theodore Orji who could
record that negative feat! The pelting development was a substantiation of
the governor’s diminishing reputation all over Abia State, showing that Dr.
Kalu still stands tall in popularity, not only in Abia State, but in the
world at large.
The world at large will ever vouch for Kalu that he never involved himself
with political battles till date as Theordore Orji has involved himself in
many political battles since he assumed the office of governor. Orji became
egotistical! He is even in political battles with his predecessor, Kalu,
but the later is not even giving any notice of fighting. Kalu’s political
maturity is a case study for those studying political science.
The plea that Kalu should withdraw his decision to quit politics and the
party by the national body of the PPA goes a long way to show how relevant
he is. The party, like many people this writer have approached to air their
view of Kalu, say that it is not better that Kalu leads from behind but in
the front because he is a victory majority of the people that know him
always celebrate and he is a nice thing that has occurred in the Nigerian
political landscape.
Kalu took the frontline when there was danger in the ex-President Olusegun
Obasanjo anti-Igbo politics. And the people always appreciate Kalu beyond
that period for not seeing leadership as something that must be gotten by
muscles, but getting along with people. Is Governor Orji learning?
It is important that those who are close to Dr Kalu tell him that he cannot
afford to abandon Ndigbo at this critical point in time when Ndigbo are in
dearth of a leader like Ojukwu who loved Ndigbo from the depth of his
heart. While he may be focusing on his Orji Uzor Kalu Foundation, it is
time he rethinks and comes back to active politics. His mammoth followers
before and after he founded PPA in July 2006 and vied for Presidency in
2007 under the platform, are still loyal to him even though he decides
tommorrow not to move with the PPA again.
Kalu is still one hundred percent relevant in the Nigerian politics. Nkire
has seen this and has smashed the PPA’s Abia State chapter over its
ostensibly suspension of Kalu, saying that the state chapter of the party
committed such a gaffe at a time that the national leadership was
petitioning to Kalu to repeal his decision to quit. Since the leadership of
the party has been making appeals to Kalu to change his mind and recommence
active participation in the affairs of the party, it is evident that many
more people even outside the party will beg Kalu very soon to forgive them
especially now that the Nigerian electorates are centering their mindset on
popularity and not on those who use armoured tanks and soldiers to win
elections. Yes, more people will beg Kalu, Nkire just opened the folder.
