posted
First they called him a 'joker'. Some said he was only making 'noise'. The more ignorant went on a goose chase to wage Obasanjo's infantle 'War of currption'. But as they say, the difference between the toys of men and boys in the price and size.
Dr. Orji Kalu has by declaring his much awaited presidential ambition under a truly progressive, national, electable and corrupt free political party, the Progressive Peoples Alliace (PPA) put his mouthy and opften ignorant critics were they belong:
_________________________________________
KALU’S DAY OF GLORY •
Stakes all, as he takes OBJ’s anti-corruption war to the cleaners By SHOLA OSHUNKEYE with additional reports from Idowu Bakare, James Ojo, Ismail Omipidan, and Francis Awowole-Browne Saturday, December 23, 2006
Sun News Publishing
As the year (any year at all), trails off to eternity, Abuja, Nigeria’s burgeoning federal capital, usually slumbers. This is because people usually migrate from the city to celebrate the yuletide and New Year festivities at their homesteads.
But on Thursday, the city brimmed with people and blazed in majestic splendour, despite the scorching savannah sun, as it hosted Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Abia State governor, who formally flagged off his presidential race on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA. The Wuse 2 area and streets bordering the Sheraton Hotel and National Mosque, were choked for hours on end by vehicular traffic and sun-drenched people, who thronged the Yar’adua Centre to watch the governor unveil his package of hope and redemption for Nigeria’s traumatized masses.
It was a convention of a wonder kind. A political carnival of some sort. An epochal event where tradition mixed with culture to yield pleasurable moments. Living up to his billing as a master strategist, Kalu sent the teeming crowd into a frenzy as he stormed the venue not in a stretched limo or glittering Lincoln Navigator jeep, but in a luxury bus, drenched in the colours and insignia of the Orji Uzor Kalu Campaign Organisation. “From OBJ to OUK,” the crowd roared in ecstasy. Others simply sang themselves hoarse. Cultural groups did neck-breaking stunts in a bid to out-shine one another. The scene in the hall was equally tumultuous as the Abia governor was welcome like all-conquering General returning from battle. Clad in a Navy Blue suit, with a matching golden red tie, Kalu smiled broadly and punched the air occasionally as waltzed rhythmically to the podium amid thunderous shouts of PPA! “This is fantastic,” said an elated Raila Hammed, a middle-aged businesswoman-cum-PPA fan who claimed to have arrived the venue at about 8.a.m., even though the event was officially slated to start at 10. Time then was 12.10 p.m.
The euphoric scenes mimicked the type that unraveled as Kalu journeyed along the west coast last August during a five-nation sensitization tour of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Guinea. Even, a gentle smile continually played on the stoic lips of Muhammadu Buhari, a retired General, former Head of State and presidential standard-bearer of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, who came to give moral support to Kalu. Equally elated were former first lady, Mrs. Aguiyi-Ironsi, PPA national chairman, Alhaji Suleiman Ahmed, former executive chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, Abuja, Justice Sambo Bashir, pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chekwas Okorie, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Adamu Song, Senators Chris Adigije and Uche Chukwumerije, as well as NCNC Okoli, founder and sponsor of the Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) Victory Team, to mention just a few. Lagos rap rave, Daddy Fresh, set the crowd dancing, and others stomping the floor with their feet. Kalu, a lover of good music, who sings as his spirit dictates, held the hands of Buhari and Ahmed aloft and swung to Daddy Fresh’s music. Again, the audience roared in appreciation.
The PPA national chairman set the tone for the event shortly before Kalu’s arrival by espousing his party’s manifesto, assuring that PPA will lead Nigeria to “the Promised Land, where democracy, constitutionalism and rule of law will be the rule rather than the exception.” He praised the judiciary for rising up to the challenge of the reinstated governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, urging same measure to be applied to the Plateau case. “If the rape on democracy in Plateau is allowed to stay, then, one day, some juvenile legislators will attempt to replicate this show of shame in the National Assembly Abuja, where 117, the one-quarter of 469 could be used to impeach the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” On the economy, the national chairman queried the “ sense in stashing N40billion in foreign banks in the name of foreign reserve, when a government with vision can use a tenth of this as soft loans to reputable firms to kick start Independent Power Project (IPP) to inject life into our unhealthy economy and comatose power sector.” Kalu was at his oratorical best as he pledged to restore hope to the pauperized masses of Nigeria. “Our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday,” he said, adding that during his presidency “the country will record unprecedented growth, having groped in the dark for over 40 years. We will witness the dawn of a new era of economic prosperity and social justice.”
He reiterated that he belongs to a generation of young Nigerians with the drive and knowledge to rescue Nigeria from the woods, taking it to its pride of place in the 21st century development scheme. He also underscored his patriotism and nationalism, declaring that: “ I am a man from Igbo parents, reared by the Hausa Fulani and whose business empire is powered by the Yorubas. I have suffered (huge) losses in business and I have suffered deprivation because of my stand for the truth on national issues, but we shall march on, knowing fully well that tomorrow will be better than today.” Recalling his successes in business, and governance, the Abia governor said he is well equipped to turn around the economy, and the hub of his fiscal programme would include a policy that boosts domestic production, shielding same from aggressive external competition, as well as a scheme that transfers wealth to the people and shrink income inequalities through progressive income tax structure, taxation of excessive profits and enhanced urban minimum wage. ---------------------
Now contrast the above with the 'coronation' that took place at Orji Kalu's former party, the PDP, then you know why the fellow (Orji Kalu) smartly let Obasanjo and his clique swim in their own stew. You could also see from the list of WHO-IS-WHO from my beloved Abia State to understand why Orji Kalu is not a push over or an Abuja's lacky and why the Abuja journey men dare not take their dirty politicking to Abia State.
THAT ALONE QUALIFIES HIM FOR THE MAN OF THE YEAR.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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As the year draws to a close, it is time of the year to reappraise and to take stock. A careful appraisal of all that has happened to and in Nigerian political landscape, especially as it concerns Ndigbo and Igbo land this year has produce one undisputable fact: Dr. Orji Kalu is the man of all seasons and the Igbo to beat!
For inspite of all the negative, or should I say CHILDISH comments that some novice of Nigerian politics (it will surely take most on this board trillion years to grasp the intrigues of the murky Nigerian politics) have written here and elswhere about the person and politics of Dr. Orji Kalu, after all is said and done, Orji Kalu is unshaken, unruffled and he shines like a star and stands like a stallion when compared to others from his part of Nigeria who innitially embarked on this year's 'presidential' odyssey.
As the former third term elongation for Obasanjo crusaders cum 'presidential hopefuls,' namely, Dr. Peter Odili of Rivers State, Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State and Achike Udenwa and their supporters who foolishly let themselves be taken around the country and finally to Abuja to be used, disgraced and dumped have finally discovered, IT TAKES WIT TO DEFEAT WIT; surely Dr. Orji Kalu, unlike his aforementioned brethrens from the east has more of that ingredient than his opponents give him credit for.
Here is a fellow who was maligned, abused, insulted, harrassed, intimidated and even his mother and other family members were made to pass through every sort of dehumanising treatment no one would wish on his enemy. But yet, as the year 2006 winds off, he, Orji Kalu is by every account having the LAST LAUGH at his critics and enemies! Here is one Igbo man who refused to be bullied nor bowed his head to the heckling and sidekicks of the likes of Obasanjo who still go about deluding themselves that the space called Nigeria is their father's property, hence, they are the only heir to that throne.
After all is said and done, just as I submitted at my 'U.S. endorse Orji Kalu...' thread, now that the ERRAND BOYS in the PDP have been kicked aside by Obasanjo and his bullies, a careful review of the remaining socalled 'presidential hopefuls' from the southern part of Nigeria shows that Orji Kalu is the ONLY Igbo and southerner with the human and material resources to really make any impact in the larger Nigerian political scene come 2007. Be it as a presidential candidate or one who finally decides to work with another progressive in an alliance or pact to help defeat the visionless PDP. Head or tail, Orji Kalu has made the much expected statement by being formally being chosed as the presidential candidate of a truly progressive, national and electable political party.
Furthermore, apart from reducing the once powerful PDP to what most people now deride as a "dying man," what the 'coronation' of the little known Governor Umaru Yaradua of Katsina State has proved and shown are among others the following;
Firtly, it has vindicated those of us who have all along argued that all those allegations of 'corruption' levelled against Obasanjo's critics like Orji Kalu were mere trumped up charges brought forward by Obasanjo's EFCC to intimidate and scare potentially qualified and electable presidential like Orji Kalu and co;
Secondly, now that the PDP coronation ritual which most fair observers (ofcourse minus Obasanjo and his agents of deceit) agreed was a 'SHOW OF SHAME has come and gone, and for the fact that it threw up a 'reluctant' president-to-beYaradua, whom even most veteran PDP stalwalts confess to know little or nothing of has done is that it has breathed life into the hitherto polorised and comatosed Nigerian opposition who have found a golden opportunity to not only ridicle the PDP but to word in unison to defeat it at the polls come 2007. It is also likely to force many founding members of the PDP to dump it as Orji Kalu and Atiku amongst others have done.
Thirdly, the likes of Atiku, Buhari and Orji Kalu and other progressives may finally put their ego aside and find a common ground to work together in order to wrest power from the now disorganised and deserted PDP and to give the hapless Nigerians the much desired ALTERNATIVE. And by so doing, they will also be giving the hapless Nigerians and the socalled Nigerian democracy the democratic face which it never had since 1999 when Obasajo and his gang took and hold the Nigerian people hostage !
And for SUCCESFULLY fighting and defeating Obasanjo and co on the aborted third term elongation, by disproving and making mockery of their 'war on corruption' abracadabra, and most importantly, for not letting all of the above to scare or dampen his spirit by finally declaring his much awaited presidential ambition with pump and pegantry right there in Obasanjo's backyard of Abuja, win or lose come 2007, for the moment, I cant help than to DECLARE DR. ORJI KALU, THE IGBO AND NIGERIAN OF THE YEAR 2006!!!
May Ndigbo produce more of his type with the BRAVE heart and a broad mind.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
As the year draws to a close, it is time of the year to reappraise and to take stock. A careful appraisal of all that has happened to and in Nigerian political landscape, especially as it concerns Ndigbo and Igbo land this year has produce one undisputable fact: Dr. Orji Kalu is the man of all seasons and the Igbo to beat! For despite all the negative, or should I say CHILDISH comments that some novice of Nigerian politics (it will surely take most on this board trillion years to grasp the intrigues of the murky Nigerian politics) have written here and elswhere about the person and politics of Dr. Orji Kalu, after all is said and done, Orji Kalu remains unshaken, unruffled and he shines like a star and stands like a stallion when compared to others from his part of Nigeria with whom he innitially embarked on this year's 'presidential' odyssey.
As the former third term elongation for Obasanjo crusaders cum 'presidential hopefuls,' namely, Dr. Peter Odili of Rivers State, Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State and Achike Udenwa and their supporters who foolishly let themselves be taken around the country and finally to Abuja to be used, disgraced and dumped have finally discovered, IT TAKES WIT TO DEFEAT WIT; surely Dr. Orji Kalu, unlike his aforementioned brethrens from the east has more of that ingredient than his opponents give him credit for.
Here is a fellow who was maligned, abused, insulted, harrassed, intimidated and even his mother and other family members were made to pass through every sort of dehumanising treatment no one would wish on his enemy. But yet, as the year 2006 winds off, he, Orji Kalu is by every account having the LAST LAUGH at his critics and enemies! Here is one Igbo man who refused to be bullied nor bowed his head to the heckling and sidekicks of the likes of Obasanjo who still go about deluding themselves that the space called Nigeria is their father's property, hence, they are the only heir to that throne.
After all is said and done, just as I submitted at my 'U.S. endorse Orji Kalu...' thread, now that the ERRAND BOYS in the PDP have been kicked aside by Obasanjo and his bullies, a careful review of the remaining socalled 'presidential hopefuls' from the southern part of Nigeria shows that Orji Kalu is the ONLY Igbo and southerner with the human and material resources to really make any impact on the larger Nigerian political scene come 2007. He may chose to go it alone or decide to work with another progressive in an alliance or pact to help defeat the visionless PDP. Head or tail, Orji Kalu has made the much expected statement by being formally being chosed as the presidential candidate of a truly progressive, national and electable political party.
Furthermore, apart from reducing the once powerful PDP to what most people now deride as a "dying man," what the 'coronation' of the little known Governor Umaru Yaradua of Katsina State has proved and shown are among others the following;
Firstly, it has vindicated those of us who have all along argued that all those allegations of 'corruption' levelled against Obasanjo's critics like Orji Kalu were mere trumped up charges brought forward by Obasanjo's EFCC to intimidate and scare potentially qualified and electable presidential aspirants like Orji Kalu and co;
Secondly, now that the PDP coronation ritual which most fair observers (ofcourse minus Obasanjo and his agents of deceit) agreed was a 'SHOW OF SHAME has come and gone, and for the fact that it threw up a 'reluctant' president-to-be Yaradua, whom even most veteran PDP stalwalts confess to know little or nothing of has done is that it has breathed life into the hitherto polorised and comatosed Nigerian opposition who have found a golden opportunity to not only ridicle the PDP but to word in unison to defeat it at the polls come 2007. It is also likely to force many founding members of the PDP to dump it as Orji Kalu and Atiku amongst others have done.
Thirdly, the likes of Atiku, Buhari and Orji Kalu and other progressives may finally put their ego aside and find a common ground to work together in order to wrest power from the now disorganised and deserted PDP and to give the hapless Nigerians the much desired ALTERNATIVE. And by so doing, they will also be giving the hapless Nigerians and the socalled Nigerian democracy the democratic face which it never had since 1999 when Obasajo and his gang took and hold the Nigerian people hostage!
And for SUCCESFULLY fighting and defeating Obasanjo and co on the aborted third term elongation, by disproving and making mockery of their 'war on corruption' abracadabra, and most importantly, for not letting all of the above to scare or dampen his spirit by finally declaring his much awaited presidential ambition with pump and pegantry right there in Obasanjo's backyard of Abuja, win or lose come 2007, for the moment, I cant help than to DECLARE DR. ORJI KALU, THE IGBO AND NIGERIAN OF THE YEAR 2006!!!
May Ndigbo produce more of his type with a BRAVE heart and a broad mind.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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Meanwhile, the same gang in the PDP who went from place to place maligning and leveling all sort of unsubstantiable allegation aginst Orji kalu and atiku now claim they are "expelling" the duo of Orji Kalu and atiku for marketing their candidacy through another party after being denied same by the self-appointed god fathers in their former party. Please tell, how could you 'expel' someone from an organization he/she has publicly unsubscribed from as Orji Kalu and atiku gallantly did from the polarised PDP? You talk of an indeed sinking man holding to straws.
PERHAPS in a last stage battle to get Vice-President Atiku Abubakar off its neck following a long-drawn face-off with President Olusegun Obasanjo, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expelled Atiku yesterday and declared his seat vacant. Atiku is not alone as the party similarly dumped Abia State Governor Orji Kalu . The party's move is a fallout of the duo's declaration of their presidential ambitions, this week, on the platform of other political parties.
After what has been described as the shortest meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC), the PDP announced its decisions. The meeting lasted 43 minutes.
In a statement issued and read by the national publicity secretary of the PDP, John Odey at the end of the (NEC) meeting, he condemned the declaration for the presidency which the vice president made on the platform of the Action Congress (AC).
According to Odey, the NEC, after exhaustive deliberations condemned the action of, Atiku in declaring for the presidency on the platform of another party while still laying claim to the office of the vice president, a position he assumed on the platform of PDP.
The party asked President Olusegun Obasanjo as the leader of the PDP to take urgent steps required by the constitution to restore the structure of the presidency. "NEC urged the leader of the party, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to take those actions which the constitution equips him to take to restore the structure of the presidency in accordance with article 142 which contains the requirement that whoever is to occupy the office of the vice president shall be in the same political party with the president", the statement further read.
The meeting, Odey said, also mandated the national chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali, to liaise with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Assembly and brief them on the status of the vice president.
"The national chairman has been authorised to apprise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Assembly of the current status of the vice president", the party said.
The meeting also discussed the fate of Kalu who, within the week, declared his intention to contest for the presidency on the platform of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and mandated the National Working Committee (NWC) to take all necessary actions to confirm his exit from the party.
Odey said: "The National Working Committee has similarly been authorised to take all necessary actions against the Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu that will affirm his desertion and non-membership of the party following his declaration for the presidency on another platform.
Such actions include apprising INEC and the Abia state House of Assembly of the current status of the governor. "For the avoidance of doubt, the actions of the Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Abia state governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu are tantamount to abandoning their membership of the party. The party therefore declares that all such rights and privileges of membership have been rendered nugatory by their actions."
Answering questions from journalists on whether the positions currently held by Atiku and Kalu have been declared vacant by the party, Odey said.
"That is what it means. Those who occupy the two offices, that of the vice president and the governor of Abia state, as far as we are concerned as PDP members, are no more members of our party and we will not take any responsibility for their actions."
Earlier in his opening remark, Ali had assured the party faithful that the PDP would cruise to greater success in next year's elections" noting that the most crucial aspect of the election, the primaries, had been conducted and candidates had emerged.
The Guardian learnt that the governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Adamu Muazu has been put on standby to replace Atiku. As part of the confirmation of the speculation, President Obasanjo consulted with Muazu by his car for about five minutes when he was leaving the PDP secretariat after the 43-minute NEC meeting. Obasanjo, attired in blue adire, spoke into Muazu's ear and was tapping him on the back at the same time.
After the discussion, the governor bent down and thanked the President and smiled away before the President departed.
But the Peoples Progressive Alliance PPA, in a swift reaction yesterday bemoaned the move to expel Kalu from the PDP.
PPA National Publicity Secretary Lisa Olu Akerele said in a statement that the party saw it coming. "But we are neither moved nor bothered by the move against Kalu. The move is good riddance to PDP. It will neither affect the fortunes of the party nor that of our presidential candidate. We saw it coming," he said. _______________________________
Quote: -------------------- But the Peoples Progressive Alliance PPA, in a swift reaction yesterday bemoaned the move to expel Kalu from the PDP.
PPA National Publicity Secretary Lisa Olu Akerele said in a statement that the party saw it coming. "But we are neither moved nor bothered by the move against Kalu. The move is good riddance to PDP. It will neither affect the fortunes of the party nor that of our presidential candidate. We saw it coming," ---------------------
Tell them Bro, who with his right mind would want to associate with a party that does not recognise the basic tenets of democratic norms, that is, DIVERSITY IN UNITY. So they ganged up against the likes Orji Kalu and expected them to go home to cowardly bemoan their fate as the Dr. Odilis are doing presently whereas the Nigerian people need their services?
Orji Kalu is indeed ratling and bringing out the vampire out of those folks who are clearly blinded to reason.
ANOTHER REASON WHY HE IS THE MAN OF THE YEAR.
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FOR THE RECORDS AND ON MARBLE. Dr. Orji Kalu on Obasanjo's foreign sponsors, his so-called "war on corruption," Yaradua's candidacy, why he left the PDP, etc.
_____________________________________ OBJ for Nobel Prize? NO WAY! US’ll block him –Kalu ...Has dossier on OBJ/Andrew Young deals in Jamaica By AMANZE OBI & LOUIS ODION Sunday, December 24, 2006
•Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Sun News Publishing
Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu has advised President Olusegun Obasanjo to perish the thought that he could ever win the Nobel Prize for peace, saying if his human rights record does not stop him, then the Americans will. International circuit was abuzz last week following a declaration in the United States by an African/American leader, Mr. Andrew Young, that the out-going Nigerian president is due for Nobel Prize for Peace for his reconciliatory roles on the African continent. He made the comment at a reception held in honour of visiting Obasanjo.
While urging the Sweden-based organization to award Obasanjo the Nobel medal, Young, a consummate international lobbyst, saluted his trouble-shooting efforts in countries like Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sudan. But in an exclusive interview with Sunday Sun Thursday, Kalu said: “Well, if Obasanjo is being nominated for the Nobel Prize, I am sure the Americans will prevent it. He has not done a good job. There are crises in the Niger-Delta, Obasanjo has not solved it and I don’t know why he is going for Nobel Prize. Obasanjo himself has caused problems in Plateau, Ekiti, Oyo and Anambra. So, how can he win the Nobel Prize? He is not a candidate for Nobel Prize.
I believe Obasanjo should quietly go back to Ota Farm and hand over to me because after OBJ, it will be OUK. That is what the masses say and the voice of the people is the voice of God.” Now a presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Kalu spoke on his presidential aspiration, his battles with the president who, he claims is into some dirty deals with Andrew Young in Jamaica and his vision for the nation.
Excerpts: You have powerful friends in the International Community, especially the United States. Given your interactions with them, what do you think are their worst fears about 2007?
I have close ties with the United Kingdom, U.S.A, Germany and France. They operate constitutional governments based on respect for human rights. They respect rule of law. So, they expect Obasanjo to respect human rights. As far as I am concerned, Obasanjo has a very bad human rights record. Nobody will give him Nobel Prize. Andrew Young is the greatest joker of the century. He wanted to be senator two years ago. His opponent told him he would expose his deals in Jamaica with Obasanjo. He became scared. The facts are still there. Americans have not forgotten. Everybody knows Andrew Young is Obasanjo’s contractor in Nigeria. Given Mr. President’s penchant for disobeying court orders in Nigeria, many people believe he decided to oby the ruling of the International Court on Bakassi in favour of Cameroun because he wanted to be prayed as a lover of peace and so qualify for Nobel Prize. I just laugh because the sovereignty of the Nigerian people is worth more than the prestige the Nobel Prize will bring one man.
You have just left the PDP, a party you have been in for eight years, for the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). What do you consider the challenges of this new party?
The challenge is that this new party has a special bias for people of Igbo extraction no matter where they are. I considered myself a visitor in PDP because it was under the control of one man. We have now built a party that has got a broad base for our people, a party that is democratic, and a party that would take Nigeria to where Nigerians expect their country to be. More importantly, the party will obey the rule of law. Rule of law is very important. I don’t care about those who won the PDP primaries but the process must be democratic and acceptable. What you are trying to say is that PPA will take care of Igbo interest? PPA will take care of the interest of Nigerians but it is Igbo-based because as far as I am concerned, ANPP is a northern party. PDP is Obasanjo’s party not even South-West party because the South-West is going to join PPA.
Is the PPA likely to go into an alliance with, for instance, the ANPP in the forth-coming elections?
No! We are going into the election on our own. Gen. Buhari came for the declaration today (Thursday). I invited (General Muhammadu) Buhari, (General Ibrahim) Babangida and (General Abdulsalami) Abubakar to my declaration for the presidency in Abuja Thursday (December 21). Gen. Buhari was kind enough to come and I appreciate his coming to meet another presidential candidate.
There is this talk in town that there may be collaboration between ANPP and PPA?
PPA has already signed a working agreement with ANPP and we wrote the Action Congress (AC) about our intention to have a working agreement with them as well. You know that Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu are my close friends. All the problems I have with the Federal Government, especially Obasanjo is nothing personal. It is because I go to Atiku’s house and Atiku is my friend. President Obasanjo, in all honesty, would tell you that he has no personal problems with me. It is true. He christened me “Action Governor of Nigeria” not even of Abia. My offence was that he asked everybody not to go to Atiku’s house but I went there. Atiku has been my friend since I was in the university in 1982. Then, he was in the Customs. He was coming to see me in the University of Maiduguri and he has been my friend since then to date. It is difficult to cut off the relationship.
When you and Obasanjo meet, one wonders what kind of things you say to each other. Like when you are on the rostrum, you are always very brutally frank in your comments. One would expect that each time you meet eye to eye, the earth sometimes shakes.
No, whenever I see Obasanjo, I speak to him like a father and he speaks to me like a son and that relationship has been there. Honestly, he has no personal problem with me and I have no personal problem with him. Our source of friction is Atiku. What is your take on what happened at the PDP convention last week? A lot of people believe things were manipulated and that EFCC was used to blackmail the major contenders into dropping out of the race? I didn’t see EFCC in the picture, I didn’t see Nuhu Ribadu and I was not at the occasion. Honestly, I used to have soft spot for Nuhu Ribadu until he attacked my mother because he had no cause to go after my mother. I am ready to fight Obasanjo not even Nuhu Ribadu. My mother is not in government. For anybody to touch my father or mother is an abomination where I come from. I am governor of Abia State. If you know anybody that has stolen Abia State money among the civil servants, arrest the person and ask him where he took the money. I have not taken a penny and I will not take a penny from the state’s purse. I have done my job within the ambit of the law. For Obasanjo to send Nuhu Ribadu to go and haunt my mother with 67 mobile policemen from Rivers State is abomination. If they wanted my mother, they should have asked her to report and I would have encouraged her to go because she has done nothing against the law.
Some people believe that Obasanjo is desperate to install a stooge as his successor because he is afraid that if people like you take over, you would go for his jugular?
I want to give you my word as a Christian; nobody will touch Obasanjo under my government. One, my mother has a soft spot for him. Even though Obasanjo and Nuhu Ribadu sent EFCC to harass her, she has not changed. Secondly, I am a committed Christian. Thirdly, it is not good to disgrace Nigeria’s former president. Fourthly, I see Obasanjo as a statesman like (Dr. Nelson) Mandela. Obasanjo is old, he needs somebody who will replace him. My problem is that I usually tell the truth. I will not support anybody to put Obasanjo in jail to ask him questions. In the Middle East, their kings do all kinds of things, nobody asks questions. Life and the democratic process continue. So, it will be fool-hardy. I will encourage Obasanjo to retire back to Ota Farm where people like me, if elected president by Nigerians by the grace of God, would pay him courtesy visits as ex-president. Whatever you do to others return back to you.
The belief in some quarters is that you were tactically waiting for PDP to come up with their candidate both presidential and vice before making your own declaration. Do you think you have any advantage given the kind of people they put forward?
I have built a mosque for Muslims in Umuahia. I am a committed Christian. I have done a lot of work to promote Christianity. Today, I am challenging five northern candidates. Even though I am the only strong southern candidate with Christian background, I am going to win five of them, that is the truth. At the risk of sounding immodest, I dare tell you I’m at home with the Muslim communities in Nigeria just as I’m confident that the whole Christian population in South-East, South-South and South-West would vote for me and the whole Christians in the North would vote for me and I will be president in 2007. So, I was not waiting for them (PDP). They have made a calculation that does not include the Igbo and Igbo have the largest population, not the Hausas, not anybody else. Everywhere you go, you see the Igbo, you see them saluting you for unity, purposeful leadership. I am surprised that what I have been accusing Obasanjo as Igbo hater, he has shown it on the table (through the PDP convention). Nobody can make any political equation without the Igbo. I am shocked. I believe President Obasanjo was ill-advised and is not following the democratic process. If we are able to strengthen our institutions like INEC, police, ICPC, EFCC, the Judiciary and the National Assembly, Obasanjo will not be breaking the laws. It is not good for laws to be in one man’s hand.
Maybe we should look at the issue of rigging. People believe that if we have a free contest in 2007, the election is going to be tough for PDP. Those of you on the other side, how are you going to prevent the possibility of rigging?
Professor Maurice Iwu who is chairman of INEC is a committed Catholic and I know Bishops like Obinna talk to him from time to time. Iwu, as a committed Catholic, cannot rig elections for anybody. He is a professor; he is of high repute. He cannot rig elections for anybody even if Obasanjo were contesting, Iwu must stand by the truth. I believe that Iwu, under INEC will tell the truth always. So, I have no problem. People are accusing him falsely and I don’t think he would support any rigging.
One of the fallout of the PDP convention of last week is that they are proposing to have a party that will be very strong. The irony is that Obasanjo as president deliberately weakened the party, but now that he is going to leave office, he wants to strengthen the party to give him control over who is going to sit in Aso-rock. What’s your take?
President Obasanjo has not performed very well. Now, he brought a weak hand that will not perform at all. Umar Yar’adua is one of my best friends. I thanked him even when he asked the Emir of Katsina to give me a five-star traditional title. His sister, Mero Yar’adua, is my co-ordinator in Katsina, the same father and mother. I greet their mother whenever I am in Katsina. I go there with Governor Yar’adua. Among all the governors, I think I am one of the closest to him. He is an honest man. He is one of my best friends. But I don’t think he has the capacity and ability to manage Nigeria. I have the greatest capacity and courage to manage Nigeria.
You’ve consistently fought Obasanjo while your colleagues prefer to shy away. The last convention proved those who were Obasanjo lapdogs, who thought the road to clinching power, was licking Obasanjo’s boot. What lesson do you think the nation should learn from that?
I am not Obasanjo’s enemy. I have always been Obasanjo’s friend. I helped this man in 1998 when he came out of prison, President Babangida took me to his house in Ota. I drove Babangida to that house in Ota. Babangida was kind to him. We spoke at length. He gave him a message from Abdulsalami Abubakar. I helped and contributed to his well-being. I think African presidents generally like power. I have been very surprised that somebody in the generation of Obasanjo could be intoxicated by power. However, when you read history, you will come across Ita Oko Island (detention center), Obasanjo’s past contribution to the nation. The Americans can never forget it. Government officials in Washington showed me Obasanjo’s past records. Sometimes, I am not totally surprised at what he is doing today. Contrary to impression crated that Obasanjo voluntarily relinquished power in 1979, the truth is that it people like late Musa Yar’Adua who really brought pressure on Obasanjo to leave power. Yar’Adua once told me this story while he was the the 1994 Constitutional Conference. If not for his lieutenants like late Shehu Yar’adua and Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, Obasanjo wanted to stay permanently in office. When Yar’adua was alive, he told me this story and you can ask Gen. Danjuma. He (Danjuma) is my senior brother whom I am very comfortable with. Yar’adua told me that when they were members of the Supreme Military Council, that Obasanjo was foot-dragging, that it was him and Danjuma who forced him to go. It is not a new thing. Obasanjo has always wanted to stay in power. He claims to love the people but I don’t think President Obasanjo loves the people because if he did, our expressways, our refineries, electricity and internal policies would have been revamped. I can score him A for his handling of Darfur, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra-Leone. I can give him C for establishing EFCC and ICPC. I will give him F for our domestic affairs because people in my village are living below the poverty line than they were in 1998. His C for EFCC is because he even mentioned anti-corruption. I praise him for that. Many leaders have been in this country, they didn’t talk about fighting corruption but he said he would fight corruption. When he appointed a young man like myself, Nuhu Ribadu, it wasn’t a mistake but Nuhu Ribadu is allowing himself to be used. He is an honest man. A senior security officer like Nuhu should not be talking too much. He allows himself to be used. It is sad. When the presidential nomination ended last week for PDP, a lot of people had a good laugh. They reason was that the way it turned out was not what many people expected. Some of the people who were loyal to Obasanjo were disappointed and the talk in the streets was that people like Orji Kalu saw it and went the other way. Did you have a good laugh? I knew it was going to happen. Obasanjo has no friend. What is constant is Obasanjo interest. He can sacrifice anybody no matter how loyal you are to him. Look at the way he has treated Governor Peter Odili of River State, some-one like Governor Ahmed Markafi of Kaduna State and others. I mean people who have been very, very loyal to him. You ask Senators Uche Chukwumerije, Adigije and Adolphus Wabara. We had a deal with Obasanjo and he broke the deal. I told them that he would not keep to the deal. When Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Minister of Finance, Obasanjo promised Chukwumerje one ambassador, he promised Adigije one ambassador, he promised Wabara, then senate president, one ambassador. He never kept to his words. That is the crux of my quarrel with him. On many occasions in the past, I had reached an agreement with Obasanjo but by the time I left Aso-Rock, he would do something else. A Commander-In-Chief must keep his words, he must be a man of God. A Commander-In-Chief must not waver, whether at war or peace. I like a Commander-in-Chief like President Bush. He never wavers. People may hate him but I adore him. A Commander-in-Chief must always tell the truth at all times. People like Andy Uba are alive and can attest to it. Andy came to this place (Abuja) you are interviewing me today with Ibrahim Mantu and the Chief of staff, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed bearing a message from Obasanjo in 2003 because of his re-election. I did everything they wanted me to do. I have no problem with Andy, he is a very good person. He is an honest man. When he came to this place, we agreed on something and I was able to do my own part of the deal but Obasanjo failed to honour his own part. So, how can I respect him? Obasanjo is over-stretching his luck. No leader can take Nigerians for granted. No leader can take Nigeria for a ride the way he is riding us today. We want democratic process to take place. We want him to leave democratically. If he refuses to leave democratically, the revolution that took place in Ukraine will take place in Nigeria. The people will come out on the streets and challenge this leadership.
On a final note, what message do you have for Nigerians?
The message is that this is our country. Obasanjo is not the owner of this country. He is like any other Nigerian. I will be president next year and Obasanjo will be leaving for his Ota Farm to look after his chickens. The country is collectively owned. Nigerians should remember there is God in heaven and Obasanjo should remember there is God in heaven, Orji Kalu should remember there is God in heaven and all those who are contesting and those not contesting, former heads of state like Buhari, Babangida, Abdulsalami, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, should know there is God in heaven. They should know that the Almighty that created us has the final say. All the wealth that people are amassing in Nigeria is vanity upon vanity. They will die and leave all these wealth. I have the greatest respect for late Murtala Mohammed. He was a great and patriotic Head of State. On my honour, I have to be forthright. Leaders have to be forthright. I don’t need money for anything. I will be forthright in using Nigeria’s money for what it is meant for. Public fund is for the public. Money is not everything. I will rule with the fear of God, fear of the people. I will rule with respect for the constitution. __________________________________
Quote: ------------------------ The message is that this is our country. Obasanjo is not the owner of this country. He is like any other Nigerian... The country is collectively owned. -----------------------
I couldn't agree less. That MESSAGE will be heard around and without Nigeria come 2007.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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Someone should better tell Obasanjo and his gang that Abia state is NOT Imo State, where the people there from their governor to the street hawker have all but sold their heads and heart in order to curry Aso Rock's favour. Nor is my great and progressive State any of the other south eastern Igbo-speaking States where the fear of Obasanjo and his errand boys is the beginning of wisdom. ____________________________
Abia gov reacts, says his office not vacant
Vanguard, Sunday, December 24, 2006
UMUAHIA — Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, reacted to his purported expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday by restating that he remains the governor of the state and that there is no vacancy yet at the Umuahia Government House.
“I am the governor of Abia State, and by the grace of God, I will remain until May 29, 2007. That means that there is no vacancy here for now, irrespective of what the lawless men in Abuja and the PDP secretariat would want to believe”, Kalu said in Umuahia yesterday. The PDP national leadership of Dr. Ahmadu Ali had announced the expulsion of Kalu and Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the party, citing their defection to other parties as reason for the action. While Atiku was on Wednesday adopted as the presidential candidate of the new Action Congress (AC), Kalu rolled off his presidential campaign Thursday morning on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). He too was adopted as the party’s candidate for next year’s presidential election.
But Kalu said the PDP’s, and by extension, the Presidency’s, practice of unconstitutionally declaring certain seats vacant was a treatment reserved for only those the presidency wants to stop by hook or by crook. He said it was in order to forestall this development that he had filed a suit before the Abuja high court to seek, among other things, an interpretation of the law as it regards the practice of declaring elective office vacant. The Abia governor who filed summons at the Abuja High Court is praying for an order to stop the PDP and INEC from declaring his position vacant as a result of his defection to another party. However, while Kalu’s suit is pending in court, the party defiantly declared his position vacant and called on the PDP national body, in alliance with INEC, to fill the ‘vacant’ position immediately.
The writ filed on behalf of the Abia Governor by Amobi Nzelu prays the court for three reliefs, essentially an order to restrain the two respondents, including the Attorney-General of the Federation from declaring his position vacant because he left the PDP. The prayer asks the court to make “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants ……from declaring the position of the plaintiff/applicant as the Executive Governor of Abia State vacant pending the determination of the originating summons filed in respect of this matter. He argued that his reason for seeking the restraining order is the legal provision which is clear in the constitution on the mode of removal of a Governor from office as provided for in Sections 180 and 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “The office of the plaintiff/applicant as the Executive Governor of Abia State cannot be declared vacant save in manner provided by the law”, he argued. One of the grounds of the application also averred that his joining the PPA is a constitutional right guaranteed in Chapter 4 of the Constitution. “The Constitution allows members of political parties to freely associate and join other political parties, if there are obvious divisions or dissenting views that are not welcomed in a party. It is obvious that there are factions/divisions in the PDP (1st defendant)”.
But the Abia governor dismissed his expulsion with a wave of the hand, saying PDP could not expel somebody who was no longer with them. He said it has been clear to all and sundry that he had left the PDP for sometime, ever since the party became irredeemably factionalised, and that his expulsion therefore, is of no effect whatsoever. He, however, takes exemption to the idea of declaring his seat vacant. “Ahmadu Ali has no right or power to declare the seat of an elected public officer vacant, since he is neither an electoral body (in this case, INEC) nor an elected officer himself”, Kalu said. According to the governor, the subsisting 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is clear on how a governor can be removed from office. “If the PDP constitution says otherwise, somebody should please tell Ahmadu Ali that Nigeria’s constitution is superior to the PDP constitution. Ali should go and read it and practice what it says”, Kalu said. He continued: “The much Ahmadu Ali and his PDP can do is to tell the members of the Abia State House of Assembly to impeach me. “They did not cross to PPA with me. Only myself and my deputy are in PPA. The lawmakers are still in PDP. They can use them to impeach me. If they impeach me, I will go home, knowing that the constitution has been complied with.” ____________________________________________
WE ABIANS AT HOME AND IN THE DIASPORA WANT ORJI KALU TO CONTINUE AS OUR GOVERNOR, AND WOULD DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP HIM THERE UNTIL HIS TERM EXPIRES IN 2007.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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Senior Nwaro! frohes Weinachtfest! und ein gute Rutsch ins neues jahr 2007! .............. Vindication it quite a long Time. thanks for opening another great thread. you see, a critical analysis of what is happening today shows that we have been Vindicated!. but let me add that this is not the first time we are being vindicated on the evil machination of external anti-igbo elements and their internal Collaborators aka iwuanyawu,mebiafra,nzeribe imo state this, imo state that...+ whatever they call themselves. the aim of the great igbo hater OBJ, is to use this greedy, evil money miss-roads to destroy the rising King-David of Igbo Land- Orji Uzor Kalu. but God is on our side and the battle is His.we have overcome them and shall continue to do so.
Abia state , is the last hope of Ndigbo!
Obasanjo and his anti igbo elements have taking over the political control of the whole state that make up Igbo Nation and Abia state is the only State remaining standing .thanks to Gov Orji Kalu, Uche chukwumerije and other the fearless Warriors of Abia Origin.By having full political control, yoruba/awusa now will be imposing at will who rules our provinces. thats why every igbo patriots is enjoined to join the Abians in this fight.After repelling completely the enemy Offensive on Abia state, we will go to Imo state, enugu state, and other igbo state occupied Territory and instigate a libration War!. Our Enemies are Internal and External, this we most not fail to bear in mind.
Danke mein Bruder. Here is also wishing you and your loved ones all that is GOOD you wish yourselves in the new year!!
Once again, thanks for not letting yourself be deceived by the CHALATANS who bestride this board like locust looking for whom to deceive and mislead. The world knows by now who the REAL IGBOS ARE. We, THE REAL IGBOS really have to be on guard, lest we let history repeat itself.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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Charity they say should begin at home. For once we have a president-to-be, Yaradua, whom his own people have already passed a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE, even before he embarks on his nation-wide campaign.
THE PRESIDENT NIGERIA DOES NOT NEED: ____________________________ N/East Youths Reject Yar’Adua, Threaten To Dump PDP 25th December
By Sule Lazarus, Senior Correspondent, Yola Top of Form 1
Bottom of Form 1 Youths coalition and some chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the North-East have rejected Governor Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as the party’s presidential candidate and threatened to quit the party if nothing is done to reverse it. The group also condemned PDP over the alleged anomalies that characterised the just concluded primaries of the party from the state to national levels.
The members and their supporters under the aegis of the Movement of the North-East Youths Organisation Forum described the primaries as the worst thing to have ever happened to the party since its formation. National President of the forum, Alhaji Buba Kwacham, at a news conference in Mubi, Adamawa State, stated that the forum met in Bauchi and deliberated on the just concluded primaries of the PDP and described them as complete injustice to the region.
His words: "The Movement of North-East Youths Organisation Forum met in Bauchi and reviewed the PDP primary elections and came up with a conclusion that the whole exercise was like a child’s play. And as far as this forum is concerned, we have nothing to do with the primaries. A situation whereby the real stakeholders and authentic aspirants under the party were pushed aside for favoured intruders of highly placed persons in government will not be taken lightly.
"More worrisome to the entire members of this forum is the presidential and Adamawa gubernatorial primaries whereby the principal actors in the game were pushed aside for the favoured government’s candidature of Governor Umar Musa Yar’adua and Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) who never cared to criss-cross the country for their campaigns as done by others." Kwacham added that the next meeting of the forum would take place soon where final decision of the forum would be taken. According to him, Nyako can never win election in the state. He pointed out that the way PDP primaries were conducted nationwide showed clearly that the party is on the verge of collapse, and only timely intervention to correct the anomalies would save the party from impending doom. ______________________
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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In contrast to Yaradua, Dr. Orji Kalu's candidature has already received the blessing of the political establishment from his native Igbo land. He has the blessing of such Igbo greats as Dim Ojukwu, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Mazi Chekwas Okorie, the legitimate Chairman of APGA, and others. Now the royal fathers are falling heels on head to give him the necessary ROYAL ANOINTMENT.
THE PRESIDENT NIGERIA DESPERATELY NEEDS: ____________________________ I’ll ensure steady power supply in two years
By GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka Tuesday, December 26, 2006
The presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has said that if elected president in 2007 he would ensure steady power supply in the country.
Also, he promised to build the largest military force in Africa, which would compete with those of the world powers.
Disclosing this at the weekend in Ukpo in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, shortly after he was conferred with the chieftaincy tittle of Ochiagha na Ukpo by the monarch of Ukpo, Igwe Robert Eze, Kalu told newsmen that he was a child of circumstance that creates innovations.
Said he: "I have been a child of circumstance. I am a child of the truth. I am a child that creates wealth. After two years of my presidency, 85 per cent of the major cities of Nigeria will have steady power supply. I will also build the largest military force in Africa here."
On the issue of the choice of his running mate, the PPA flag bearer said he would respect the diversity of the country by choosing a non-Christian. Also honoured at the ceremony is Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Anambra State, Dr. Andy Uba, who was conferred with the title of Ochendo of Ukpo, and Senator Emma Anosike.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Uba said he was not disturbed by the popularity of his main contender in the 2007 governorship election in the state and candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Dr. Chris Ngige. Uba said that by the time he finishes one year in office Ngige would not be remembered again. He stressed that though it was in the hands of the people to decide who governs them, he remains the best and right person for the state in 2007, adding that he was ready to work for the people.
Said he: "Ngige’s emergence doesn’t disturb me at all. I think my people have to see through whoever they think is sincere. It is for them to make their judgment and I think they will make the right judgment. I am the right person for them and am ready to work for them and am sure we will wait for him (Ngige), whenever he’s ready, am ready".
On the allegation by the AC in the state that he was using the influence in Aso Rock and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to harass candidates of the party in the state, Uba denied having any hands in the said arrest of AC members.
He however, said that it was natural to hear such allegations considering his political ambition, saying: "If you are in the position that I am everybody will name you. Even when their wives cannot give birth, they will name you for not being able to get their wives pregnant. So am not surprise they are naming me, but am sure God knows that I don’t have hands in what they are saying".
The PDP candidate however, noted that the EFCC does not look for people for nothing, adding that any one being looked for by the commission must have done something. ___________________________
The battle to rescue Nigeria is indeed looking more brighter and promising!
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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The best Vice Presidential candidate for Kalu is to chose an educated moslem woman from the desert region to compensate for the hoodulms in the north.
Hail Biafra
Posts: 1672 | From: Minnesota USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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What Nigeria desperately need are consumer goods and not military goods. Building the largest military force in Africa should not be a priority of any one wanting to be President.
The only super-military power on earth is being defeated in Iraq. Israel, with all its military superiority could not defeat stone-throwing Hamas.
Japan is an economic/industrial super-power and not a military super power. Nigeria should follow that path.
Posts: 288 | From: California | Registered: Jul 2003
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The more, the merrier! Win or lose, what all these men (unfortunately there's no woman amongst them) have demonstrated is that every Nigerian should fight to see that his/her civic and legal rights to ELECT or BE ELECTED are not denied nor trampled upon under any guise by anyone or group of persons. That was what the Obasanjos set out to do by pre-deciding who should and who should not be let to vie for the presidency come 2007. It is for same reason that folks like Nwa Aro at home and in the diaspora mounted a counter campaign to see that those BASIC human rights are neither denied nor trampled upon by any one, irrespective of his/her position in Nigeria or anywhere. And for SUCCESSFULLY spearheading and WINNING the fight against the forces of darkness, Dr. Orji Kalu more than any of the candidates listed below deserves all the praises and accolades (especially from Igbo point of view) for making the field more wider and level as it is today. ___________________________ The men who want to rule Nigeria By Clifford Ndujihe IN response to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for submission of list of candidates for the 2007 polls, the political parties set the political scene on fire last week.
Beginning from Saturday December 15 when the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held its national convention to pick Katsina State Governor, Umaru Musa Yar' Adua as its presidential candidate, throughout last week, the opposition parties were over themselves staging their conventions for the same purpose.
Most of the national conventions were held between Monday and Thursday. The electoral commission had announced December 22 as the last day for the submission of list of presidential candidates. The Electoral Act prescribes that the lists of candidates must be submitted to the INEC not later that 120 days to the general elections.
Recently, the commission fixed the date for the submission of the lists of governorship and state Houses of Assembly for December 15 and that of the Presidential and National Assembly for December 22, 2006. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu warned that any name submitted after the dates would be disqualified. He said that the resolve was borne out of experience. In the past, many parties deliberately withheld the lists of their candidates or continued to change them even up to the eve of the elections.
Following the exercises, 10 presidential candidates have so far emerged. Embattled Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was disallowed from contesting on the banner of the PDP, crossed over to the Action Congress (AC) and was handed the presidential ticket. Nine other parties also adopted him as their consensus candidate. The parties include Justice Party (JP), Liberal Democratic Party of Nigeria (LDPN), National Masses Movement of Nigeria (NMMN), Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), Advanced Congress of Democrat (ACD), Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ), United Democratic Party (UDP), Peoples Solidarity Party (PSP), and Better Nigeria Peoples Party (BNPP). For making the move, the presidency has declared the post of the vice president vacant and withdrawn Abubakar's security. And the stage is set for a new dimension in the lingering feud between President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy. In Enugu, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) handed its presidential flag to Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who contested the seat on the same platform in 2003 and lost to Obasanjo. Also in the Coal City, the Citizens Popular Party (CPP) elected its National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu as its presidential candidate. He is to run with Hajia Rabi Cengiz.
After, the PDP primaries, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) took its turn the following day. As in the 2003 exercise, the party got other aspirants to step down for Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), who was adopted as its consensus candidate. Last Thursday, the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) led by Chief Olu Falae also adopted Buhari as its candidate following its convention in Abuja.
Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu on Thursday in Abuja carried out his threat, to vie for the 2007 presidential polls. He was adopted as the consensus candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). Other candidates that emerged within the week included Rev. Chris Okotie of the Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), Prof. Pat Utomi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).
Factional Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Dr Olapade Agoro had earlier picked the flag of the National Action Council (NAC) at the party's convention in Lagos. ___________________________________
Now that the battle to let every aspiring Nigerian and political party have a SAY and a stake as to who rules Africa's most populous country from 2007 has been soundly WON, the next phase of this stage-by-stage battle is to ensure that no one, no matter how great or powerful rigs the forthcoming election in favour of anyone or group.
THE WORLD IS WATCHING!
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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Quote: ---------- The best Vice Presidential candidate for Kalu is to chose an educated moslem woman from the desert region to compensate for the hoodulms in the north.---Waypoint" ----------
Exactly what Orji Kalu has done. But instead of seeing it as "compensating the hoodlums from the desert region," as you put it, what it is, AND IT SHOULD BE in the view of any fair-minded person is to broaden the base and make his future government moree INCLUSIVE. As Orji Kalu rightly opined, his choice is "...in line with Beijing, China agreement that women ought to have a stake in everything. So she represents the womenfolk."
And I dont think any right-thinking person would argue nor disagree with that.
___________________________________
Mariam Baba is Kalu's running mate
From Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia
PROGRESSIVE Peoples Alliance (PPA) Presidential Candidate and Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu, in Umuahia at the weekend said a Kano State female acti
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