Posted by Semiu Okanlawon on
Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, on Wednesday said his alarm over the alleged third term ambition of President Olusegun Obasanjo was to forestall possible crisis that could arise from an extension of the President's tenure.
Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, on Wednesday said his alarm over the alleged third term ambition of President Olusegun Obasanjo was to forestall possible crisis that could arise from an extension of the President's tenure.
The governor, through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Iyke Ekeoma, stated that those who misled the former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, were active participants in the current administration.
According to the governor, he was only being patriotic by the early alarm over the matter so as to avert possible attendant crisis of an extension.
The governor explained, 'For good measure, the characters that orchestrated the Abacha misadventure are still very much around and indeed, can be found in the innermost recesses of the Presidential Villa.
'There is a limit to the extent to which the will of Nigerians can be tested.
'What Governor Kalu is trying to do by raising these alarms is to forestall a situation whereby Nigerians will be pushed to the wall and allowed to adopt other options."
The statement said Kalu, who had drawn Nigerians' attention to signals that allegedly points to plans by the President to stay on during his recent tour of the United States.
It said 17 months before another general election, there were no signs that Obasanjo was interested in vacating the office.
He added that what was glaring were attempts to intimidate those who declared their interests in the presidency.
The statement added, 'What Dr. Kalu is simply saying is that if indeed Mr. President is not interested in a third term, his actions, words and deeds have not pointed towards that direction.
'It is very unhealthy that 17 months to the next presidential elections, there is nothing on ground to show that the incumbent is indeed willing to vacate office at the expiration of his tenure."
On allegations that the governor had accused Obasanjo of breaching the code of conduct by not declaring his assets publicly, the statement added that what the governor demanded was leadership by example.
The governor, through the statement, advised the Special Assistant to the President on Public Communications, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, to be more cautious in his responses to criticisms of the Obasanjo's actions.
The PUNCH, Thursday, August 11, 2005