Former governor of Abia state and a new entrant into the fold of the All Progressive Congress (APC) should not shout hurray yet, as a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia State, Paul Ikonne has criticized his association with the party, saying he (Kalu) joined the party to cause confusion.
Mr Ikonne stated this while speaking in a press conference on Sunday, in Abuja.
Recall The Vintage Newspaper reported last week that the ex- governor defected to the APC from the Progressive People Alliance (PPA). Ikonne, who was the gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), in the 2011 elections in the state, said the former governor has nothing to offer the APC politically, adding that the defection of Orji Kalu “is nothing to celebrate.”
“There is nothing to celebrate about Orji Kalu joining the party because Abia APC and south- east APC is being rebuilt and repositioned for proper impact for us to make the desired change like we did during the last presidential election.
“We played a critical role. So, having Orji Kalu join the APC is nothing to celebrate If every person in Nigerian politics plays the kind of politics Orji Kalu plays, you will find out that we won’t make a headway,” he said.
When probed if he had personal issue with Kalu joinong tje party, Ikonne simply said he has nothing personal against the governor, adding that what the APC doesn’t wants in the south- east is confusion.
“We don’t want the Southeast APC to be thrown into confusion because we have prominent people, people of honour, people who laboured to make sure that the PDP did not have a free day. “We have the likes of Senator Chris Ngige, the governor of Imo state, Minister of Science and Technology and some other prominent people,” he said.
He went further that contrary to widespread belief, the APC is united and has no factions. “To the best of my knowledge, we have only one camp in the APC and that camp is what brought Mr. President on board.
“It is the mass movement of people and the integrity of the president, so come 2019 APC will win based on that integrity. I must say this that when you personalise politics around just a man, such a man must be a man of integrity.” Ikonne said his views represent the sentiments of party leaders in Abia State, adding that he was also concerned that Kalu is currently facing charges of corruption and his joining APC could taint the anti-corruption posture of the Buhari administration.
“Nigeria is coming back to international limelight because the president has a track record of integrity.
“Going by Kalu’s antecedents, you know the answers. Right now, what we are looking for are men and women of integrity that will work with Mr. President,” he said.
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