Chief Uzor Orji Kalu is indeed having a laugh, whether he is having the last laugh is another thing. The pointer is that he might just end up having the proverbial last laugh when he eventually carries the day and become a senator from Abia North once the senatorial re-run is fixed and concluded. The Abia strong man would have added yet another title to the lot he has been decorated with, but would all these title matter to the eminent businessman and politician?
As soon as the election of Chief Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party was nullified by the Court of Appeal having heard all the irregularities that featured in the election by the team of Kalu’s lawyers and a re-run was announced, Kalu had described it as victory for democracy that boiled down to ‘sowing and reaping’.
He has sowed and it is only natural that he should reap the produce of that sowing, and the people, especially from Old Bende of that region have given the assurance that they believed that in the election that was conducted on the twenty-eight of March that their votes did not count and this time, with the help of all the relevant machineries in place, their votes would definitely count this time. And they must count in favour of Kalu because of the faith and hope they have in his capabilities and trust for bring development and progress to everything he lays his finger.
As the preparation for the re-run gears, Old Bende Coalition for Good Governance-OB-CGG- a political pressure group from that region is already everywhere soliciting support for Kalu. The chairman of the group, Agwu Uguru Eke, whose group had perhaps advised the former governor of the state to appeal against the election of Chief Mao Ohuabunwa’ victory because they felt the PDP never truly won that election, had said that it was a wise move that the ex-governor had heeded their advice and went to the appellate court to make an appeal.
Every member of the group seems to be speaking in one voice that their votes must count now as they are prepared to come out in their multitude to cast their votes not because it is Kalu, but for the simple truth that the man has all the good qualities to represent that constituency when they decide to look back at his many achievements when he was governor of the state. If he was young then as a governor and those feats were achieved, they believed, as a much mature businessman and politician he would definitely know all the right things and right plugs to pull to get the constituency riding again.
So, the fillers are there that Kalu might come out victorious in the re-run election and it is equally true that the man’s capabilities have been tried and tested and he would deliver and bring cheer to the people of that zone, but what is most important is that should Kalu win in the re-run, it means the Progressive People’s Alliance [PPA] can garner votes as it has done in the past and that should be kudos to the man and focus should be concentrated on the child of Kalu and how he nurtures it into a formidable political adult to tackle the responsibilities of the future, especially at a time when the Chief has kept the minds of many wobbling as regards the direction of his political drift.
Many had thought he would follow the path of his mother and family and establish camps with the All People’s Congress, and since that has become a guess work and the People’s Democratic Party seems to be a no-go-area since many, also, thought that would have been a better ground for him to re-establish his foundation as a founder and sponsor of the party; focus should be on PPA. Can he strengthen it and give it an enlargement? If he can and makes it a political talking point, it would have drowned every other of his political achievements, whether as a onetime governor or as one who has from nothingness helped to build the People’s Democratic Party or when he becomes a senator.
The Asiwaju, Tinubu, did it with the APC, and in the meantime, as it now stand; APC does not have and opposition let alone a strong one because the PDP has proven itself a lame duck that went into the business of politicking all-in wrestling, which Nigerians were only waiting to see it come crashing, which did happen after sixteen years of witnessing the type of political madness the country has ever been visited. And can a society make progress where there are no challenges and opposition?
This is a case for Kalu since the PDP’s cupboard of skeletons has not been cleared, and Kalu would have sowed even more and benefitted much more if he could work some miracle out with his PPA.
When the twenty thousand and sixteen budgets were presented to Nigerians, the first thing Buhari did was to offer the best gift to Nigerians, an apology. The man knows the APC is failing somewhere, especially in its promises to Nigerians, and the only thing the PDP could offer as challenge or opposition was that the budget was faulty and bogus. Just like that? No analytical evidence, no creativity of ideas and proffer of a solution?
That is why the task on Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and his PPA is so great on his shoulders. It shall matter less to him if all the affixes in this world are attached to his name; in all of Kalu’s political dreams, he shall aim towards political posterity with the PPA liken only to that of the sage-a few of his political admirer-Pa Awo and what he was able to achieve in the country. And thank goodness he would be remember, Kalu, that is, as one of those who went into politics not to steal the people blind and render the treasury sorriable as he had cut his teeth in business before entering into the silly journey of Nigerian politics.
A part of that posterity would be what he is able to do with the PPA as Pa Awo did with his political brain child, the Action Group, which later became the Unity Party of Nigeria until the Asiwaju, Bola Tinubu became the political smart aleck who decided to build on that political legacy to what is now the APC-though some might argue that not the APC but the Social Democratic Party [SDP] that should be favoured with that offshoot.
So, Kalu should start capitalising on all the failings of the PDP that is presently acting like a silly, dilly child who returned from school with a bad result and when asked why his result was bad he said because the teacher was bad. The teacher was bad yet other students were able to pass the same exam.
If the PPA could be strengthened and made into a more serious party to pose as a challenge for the future, these are a few tasks on the shoulders of the eminent businessman and politician; get in touch with all the other weak, minor parties that know they shall never win any elections and even act as visible opposition and enter into a merger and, two, infused into it intelligent and brilliant technocrats with analytical and practical minds who can refocus the party and begin to win big elections as well as act as that gap capable of questioning the irrationalities of any party at the helm of leadership. Because there is no strong party to do this, that is why the social media is agog with criticisms from every nook and cranny in Nigeria and Nigerians have suddenly become that challenge and opposition to either the Buhari led administration or any other emergence.
And this should not be beyond Kalu-he has always had the knack for building from nothingness into formidable somethingness whether in the areas of business or in politics- he did it with the PDP alongside others when he brought it out from a foundational wreckage and built it into a formidable party until he went out and the party became an epitome of nastiness for sixteen years until it graduates into its present state of a toothless bulldog.
Kalu should have every reason to laugh and laugh last when he becomes, ‘Distinguished.’ And, truly, so. Because he is certain of the deserved representation.
. Ogho writes from eberekpewhyte@yahoo.com and can also be reached at www.eberekpe.com, 07065671125, 08163982461, 09092355662.
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