My grouse with Orji Kalu’s role in Abia APC – Ikonne

In 2011, Prince Paul Ikonne was a governorship aspirant on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Abia State. He recently spoke with TOM OKPE in Abuja about political wrangling in his home state with emphasis on the role played by the former state governor, Orji Uzor Kalu; revealing that All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is getting stronger and bigger for one person to manipulate.

How do you find the new political dispensation in your state with the APC playing the opposition?
In Abia State, APC is getting bigger, people will come and remember that when some people say they have joined the party I raised serious concern because of the antecedent of such individuals, especially the former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu.

It has come to our notice that he is hobnobbing with the present governor of the state, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu in the deal to field his brother who is in PDP to run with the governor as his running mate in 2019 and another of his brother to run for the federal house in Aba Federal Constituency and this is total evil plan against Abia State. It is devilish and it is an act I know Abia will resist.

It is a fact that this kind of action is capable of tearing the party apart, right now; we are building our party because APC is getting stronger in Abia State and more people are joining.

More sincere and focused people are joining the party, so for Chief Orji Uzor Kalu to have started this again is too bad. I condemned it in all totality.

He cannot be in APC and at the same time palling with the sitting governor in a bid for his brother to run as the deputy governor to the sitting governor in 2019.

Now, my question is, under what platform is the arrangement going to take place? Because the governor has not joined APC yet, is Orji Kalu one leg in APC and the other in PDP? These are questions that are begging for answers and I know Abia people will not take this again.

I think he should concentrate in the Abia State North zone and try and win his senatorial sit instead of trying to plant his brothers to run as federal house member from Abia constituency and one to run as a deputy governor with the serving governor.

He cannot impose any candidate in Abia APC, he should know this kind of idea cannot fly because it is an evil plan against Abians which by the grace of God will not work out; so, I am using this opportunity once again to call on Chief Orji Uzor Kalu to desist from act that are capable of tearing the party apart and also scaring people from joining the party to make APC lose the fourth coming elections in 2019.

The party is getting stronger and positioning itself to win all positions in the forth coming election and these kind of attitudes are attitudes that will scare well meaning Nigerians even the electorate themselves; they will think orjism is back again in Abia State and APC is the platform.

I want to congratulate Nigerians and thank Nigerians for their patience with the APC led government and for their support for the administration of Muhammadu Buhari and I assure Nigerians that the APC government will deliver the dividend of democracy and Nigerians will get better as the days go by.

How is the politicking of Kalu affecting the state APC and its structure in the state?
It is good to be ambitious; Orji Kalu is from Abia North, so are his brothers; if all of them want to run for different offices in Abia State it has to be from Abia North and you know this is a party that is still building up, people will see us as if we don’t know what we are doing; if such a man who should have known that by now he has lost a lot of ground that what he should do now is to build and not to also do things he did when he was governor that gave him bad image and put Abia backward is still trying to repeat them again, it will surely show negative impact and impression on Abia APC.

What do you have to say about a party chieftain saying the APC is a bully party?
No, totally I don’t subscribe to that; saying APC is a bullying party, I don’t know which angle the person is coming from.

From my own perspective, where I stand from my state, I don’t see the party as a bully party, I don’t know the action that inform the person’s opinion so, I can’t subscribe to that.

Is Orji Kalu’s action for a better course or perhaps the sitting governor is planning to defect to the APC?
All these plans are towards 2019; for his brother to run with the governor for 2019, for Orji Kalu to continue with his senatorial ambition and one of his brothers again to run for Federal House in Abia State, all these plans are heading towards the 2019 general elections.

If that is the truth about all these permutation, then he should wait let the governor join the APC and let the party decide who gets what because now primaries has not come and it is the electorate that decides not him, Orji Kalu.

Are you accusing Orji Kalu of anti party?
These are questions begging for answers; is he in APC and one leg in PDP or is he trying to woo the governor into APC, what he is doing with the game he is playing is one of the ways the party hierarchy will get to know what is going on.

At the national level is as if he is doing a lot for the party in the state but from this, the party hierarchy will get to know and the party in the state should look into these, and I know, the state chairman who is a capable person will also investigate and other party leaders to find out what Orji Kalu is planning.

Is he trying to build a dynasty by plotting his brothers here and there?
Well, he has failed in his intentions already because kings are made by God and is only God that makes people. Orji Kalu is trying to bring the idea that his brother is going to run for federal house and him senate.

What are your plans for future political positions?
My plans are in the hands of God. The future belongs to God; to be very honest with you, the party is growing and that is why we are sounding this trumpet so that the likes of Orji Kalu will not destabilise the party, so that we don’t lose election going by the terrain the people are trending. APC in Abia State I bet you will be a party to beat.

I just pray Orji Kalu will realise this so that the party will not lose the opportunity of future election at all level.

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It has come to our notice that he is hobnobbing with the present governor of the state, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu in the deal to field his brother who is in PDP to run with the governor as his running mate in 2019 and another of his brother to run for the federal house in Aba Federal Constituency and this is total evil plan against Abia State. It is devilish and it is an act I know Abia will resist