A group, Politically Conscious Nigerians, has told a former Governor of Abia State and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, that his decision to quit politics is not in the best interest of the country.
Rather, the group said if Kalu decides to stand by his decision to quit his party and politics for good, it is Nigeria that would be the biggest loser as a major constructive critic would have been lost in the process.
The group, in a statement on Saturday, said that there was the need for Kalu to reconsider his position no matter how betrayed he feels by the political class because “when good men quit doing what makes the society better, they will only leave the scene for those who will make things worse for the entire human race.”
The statement, signed by the group’s President, Taiwo Osofisan, and Secretary General, Peter Okodua, noted that Kalu had been a strong voice in trying times in the country and that he should not quit at a time the country needs him.
The statement added: “In the years when Nigeria went through turbulent times in the past, you stood like a Rock of Gibraltar, taking positions where a lot of people feared to speak.
“It is your likes that can make this country better through constructive criticism of what is going on in the country.”
The group cited the recent statement by Kalu on the killing of Nigerians of South East extraction by members of Boko Haram in the North, adding: “Did you not notice that after you spoke there has been calm?
“Did you not notice that your position that Igbos will retaliate further attacks has put in check the activities of this criminal few who were terrorising innocent citizens?
“That should tell you that your voice carries a lot of weight and as such it is not yet time for you to quit politics and leave it to men and women who are simply out to milk the country and offer nothing.
“Your participation in politics has been largely to be of service to mankind, with you even using your personal resources for that purpose. Nigeria cannot afford to watch you quit at this time. Not even when you still have the energy, vibrancy and intellectual capacity to continue.”