ABUJA – A founding chieftain of the All Progressives
Congress APC in Abia state, Prince Paul Ikonne has
cautioned a former governor of the state, Orji Uzor
Kalu to avoid comments that could portray the
party as incapable of keeping to its words.
Ikonne was speaking against the backdrop of the
former governor’s declaration that ailing President
Muhammadu Buhari would return before June 12,
urging him to refrain from acting as the president’s
unofficial spokesman.
“Last time, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu told Nigerians that
President Buhari would return soon and he is not
the spokesman of the President. Till now, the
President is yet to return. He should keep quiet and
learn to live like an elder statesman, not trying to
take the job of the president’s spokesmen”, he said.
Speaking with journalists Thursday in Abuja, Ikonne
who was a governorship candidate of the defunct
Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, said 95 percent of
the people of Abia are not happy with the way Kalu
governed Abia for eight years.
“I plead with him not to scare people away from
joining the party because we need a strong party in
the state. The real voters are the masses and if
they are scared that the deception we witnessed in
the past would also be associated with the APC in
the state, then they will not come in”, he stated.
Ikonne advised the former governor not scare
members of the party in Abia “with his style of
leadership because we need a strong APC in Abia
state.”
“If Abia is backward, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu laid the
foundation and has taken Abia 16 years backwards.
He laid a very wrong foundation for Abia state as
such, he should not be making statements that are
false.
“My advice to him will be to keep quiet, be in a
sober mood, go in for retreat, and try as much as
he can to build a path of peace. He should embark
on a mission to reconcile everybody. Let him make
peace with his enemies so that we can attract
more people to the party”, he said.
On the planned boycott of the Anambra governorship
election by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),
Ikonne said Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the group, was
only expressing his personal views.
“That is his personal opinion because there will be an
election in Anambra state. Nnamdi Kanu is a young
man and I advise him, that Ojukwu started this
and regretted, a second one is not necessary,” he
said.
“That is the stand of every Igbo person. If you say
there would be no election in Anambra, then you
are calling for a military administrator. So, the call
for a boycott of Anambra election is simply a display
of ignorance.”
Congress APC in Abia state, Prince Paul Ikonne has
cautioned a former governor of the state, Orji Uzor
Kalu to avoid comments that could portray the
party as incapable of keeping to its words.
Ikonne was speaking against the backdrop of the
former governor’s declaration that ailing President
Muhammadu Buhari would return before June 12,
urging him to refrain from acting as the president’s
unofficial spokesman.
“Last time, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu told Nigerians that
President Buhari would return soon and he is not
the spokesman of the President. Till now, the
President is yet to return. He should keep quiet and
learn to live like an elder statesman, not trying to
take the job of the president’s spokesmen”, he said.
Speaking with journalists Thursday in Abuja, Ikonne
who was a governorship candidate of the defunct
Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, said 95 percent of
the people of Abia are not happy with the way Kalu
governed Abia for eight years.
“I plead with him not to scare people away from
joining the party because we need a strong party in
the state. The real voters are the masses and if
they are scared that the deception we witnessed in
the past would also be associated with the APC in
the state, then they will not come in”, he stated.
Ikonne advised the former governor not scare
members of the party in Abia “with his style of
leadership because we need a strong APC in Abia
state.”
“If Abia is backward, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu laid the
foundation and has taken Abia 16 years backwards.
He laid a very wrong foundation for Abia state as
such, he should not be making statements that are
false.
“My advice to him will be to keep quiet, be in a
sober mood, go in for retreat, and try as much as
he can to build a path of peace. He should embark
on a mission to reconcile everybody. Let him make
peace with his enemies so that we can attract
more people to the party”, he said.
On the planned boycott of the Anambra governorship
election by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),
Ikonne said Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the group, was
only expressing his personal views.
“That is his personal opinion because there will be an
election in Anambra state. Nnamdi Kanu is a young
man and I advise him, that Ojukwu started this
and regretted, a second one is not necessary,” he
said.
“That is the stand of every Igbo person. If you say
there would be no election in Anambra, then you
are calling for a military administrator. So, the call
for a boycott of Anambra election is simply a display
of ignorance.”
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