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Apparently upset by the brazen outbursts of erstwhile lackeys of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, the Chairman Board of Trustees, Progressive Peoples Alliance [PPA], Dr. Orji Uzor KAlu, wants them to hold their tongue.
Apparently upset by the brazen outbursts of erstwhile lackeys of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, the Chairman Board of Trustees, Progressive Peoples Alliance [PPA], Dr. Orji Uzor KAlu, wants them to hold their tongue.
Kalu, one of the few, who looked Obasanjo straight in the face and told the retired general all he did not want to hear, expressed concern over the number of allies who are turning renegade of late.
He said: 'When Obasanjo was in power, many of these modern-day critics never spoke a word. A few of us, including Senator Bola Tinubu, told him the truth. Those of them who remained silent should continue to keep quiet. You cannot change the goal post now.
Kalu, who blamed his ongoing trial engineered by the Economic and financial crimes commission [EFCC] on politics, insisted he had no regrets stemming Obasanjo's third term ambitions.
'It is all politics, you can see it. They talk of corruption. Till I left office, the highest amount Abia State got from the Federation Account was N1.4 billion. Obasanjo found me too smart to handle. Two days before he relinquished power in 2007, he signed the papers Nuhu Ribadu used against me. Today, Nigerians hear of billions of dollars stolen from oil, power and Abuja. If third- term pulled through, we might have beatified the wrong persons," Kalu pointed out.
However, the former Abia State governor called on the nascent Obasanjo critics to respect the status of the ex-president.
'Those who tied their tongues in silence in the past should not turn heroes overnight. Obasanjo remains a one-time president and should not be abused by sycophants."
On his relationship with Obasanjo, Kalu said the bridge of friendship had not been blown up. According to the PPA chieftain, there was nothing personal about his opposition to the Balogun of Owu.
'We shall meet at the appropriate time. I only opposed him because he refused to listen. Obasanjo is a lawyer, an engineer, a professor, know-it-all. Unfortunately, I saw people who should talk, fall flat on the floor to worship him. They made the man feel he was his divine majesty. I could not take that."