A former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has been in the news of recent, especially for his campaign for a Nigerian president of South East extraction in 2015. Last week, members of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party, led by the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, were at the party’s national headquarters to forestall what they termed Kalu’s planned return to the PDP. In this interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Kalu speaks on the Igbo presidency project and his purported planned return to the PDP. Excerpts:
Your Excellency, what is your reaction to the fear being expressed on your perceived intention of going back to PDP?
As I am speaking with you, I have just landed from the US into the UK and I have been away from Nigeria for about one month now. And I have not written any application or made any expression to anybody that I want to go back to any political party. As of today, I belong to no political party. My ideas and my whole view is to work for an Igbo man to become the president (of Nigeria). The political party or which party platform does not mean anything. These are decisions that will be determined by the majority of the Igbo people, who will sit and decide on which platform we are going to realise this aspiration. So, what I am concentrating on now is a group called Njiko Igbo. That is what is I am focusing attention on now both nationally and internationally. I am not focusing on PDP or PPA or APGA. I am not talking about that now. It is immaterial. The most important thing is get a level playing ground, educate our people ( Ndigbo) on the need for an Igbo man to be the president (of Nigeria).
If that is the case, why do you think some people from Abia State are making attempt to stop you from going back to PDP?
Well, it is fear for the bad things they have done in one way or the other. These are people who cannot win election anywhere, if there is free and fair election. They use the army to win election. I can tell you that all the people that went to (the PDP national headquarters in Abuja to block what they thought as my intention of going back to the party), almost all of them were in ANPP. Vin Ogbulafor was a member of ANPP. I even contested the governorship election against him. We later had a coalition government, he was made a minister. And he later joined the PDP. I was the one that took him into the party. He declared for the PDP and I was very happy to receive him as a member of the PDP. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe contested election on the platform of the ANPP in 2003 and I took him back into the PDP. And Senator Nkechi Nwaogu was in the ANPP. I brought her back to the PDP. Senator Uche Chukwumerije had been a member of ANPP and APGA and this and that. And overall, the (present) governor of Abia, (Chief Theodore Orji) had never been in any political party in his life. The first political party he entered was PPA, on the platform of which he won election as governor and he then decamped to APGA and later to PDP. We are the founding fathers of PDP and at any giving day I want join any political party, those people cannot even stop me on what I want to do. They know that and that is what they are afraid of because they have ruined our state. Aba, Umuahia, Ohafia, Bende areas are ruined. The governor is not doing anything. I even called for his resignation. Last week, I asked him to resign because he is not doing any job for the people.
But in clear cut, do you really intend to go back to the PDP in the future, if not now?
I am not even in any political party. This is what I am telling you. My focus is to work on how Igbo people become united and we will decide on which platform we are going to contest for presidency.
Someone may say it is too early for somebody to start talking about presidential election by now….
I am not talking about presidential election, I am talking about unity of the Igbo people. Unity, unity, unity of the Igbos. Unity of the Igbos against forthcoming election. Because our people are not united. Since we lost Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, we have lost a lot of statesmen, and the former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, is getting old, we need to go round and tell our people to come up. Let (other) people stop doing caricature with the Igbos. That is our focus. That is where I am focusing on and that is where most of the people who genuinely like the Igbos are focusing on. I am not in any political party. I am not talking about partisan politics and I will support any platform on which the Igbo presidential candidate will emerge in the next election.
But you are being accused of working for northern Nigeria to get back the slot of the presidency in 2015…
Well, I am not working for anybody. I am working for my people, the Igbo people. And I expect the people of northern Nigeria to sit down with us and talk and support us. I also expect the people of south western Nigeria to sit down with us and talk, and support us. Ahhh! Why not? I will be very willing to talk together and work together.
How do you look at attempt made by some people, trying to stop you from going back to PDP?
I am not even talking about political party now. This is unnecessary. I am not in partisan politics. What I am today, I am not a member of any political party. I am coordinating a group called Njiko Igbo with other people, comprising the chairman, other officials and members of the association. I am just a coordinator. I am not a member of any political party: PPA, PDP, or APGA. And whenever I want to go back to partisan politics, that will be made known to Nigerians.
Now how do you look at the expression made by some people from your home state, saying that they are not comfortable with your going back to PDP?
Well, they are not knowledgeable enough. I am surprised that educated people like them should be doing that because when Bamanga Tukur took over as the national chairman of PDP, he said his leadership will be for reconciliation. And when the PDP leaders of Ekiti State opposed the return of (former Governor Ayo) Fayose to the party, Bamanga Tukur intervened. Because that is the cardinal point of the decision of the National Working Committee of the party and no individual, no state can flout that decision. But that is not even the point. he issue is that I am not in any political party as of today, and for now I am not thinking about that. I am thinking more about my people (Ndigbo), who are not united, than the issue political party.
Then, what happens to your membership and position of leadership in PPA?
Well, I don’t know, because I don’t belong to any political party as I am talking to you now.