Posted by By CHIKA ABANOBI, RAZAK BAMIDELE, NWABUEZE OKONKWO and GEOFFREY ANYANWU on
Abia State Governor and Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) presidential candidate, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, says that it is the turn of Igbo to produce the president of the country.
Abia State Governor and Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) presidential candidate, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, says that it is the turn of Igbo to produce the president of the country.
Speaking at the Holy Trinity Cathedral Catholic Church, Onitsha, while addressing a mammoth crowd at Onitsha, Anambra State, as he flagged off his South East presidential rally, Kalu said that the time has come for the Yoruba, Hausa and other tribes in Nigeria to support the Igbo and his candidacy.
Said Kalu: "We voted for MKO; we voted for Obasanjo, so they should help us and vote for Kalu because bean cake (Akara) oil is sweet and must be passed around. Hausa has licked, Yoruba has licked, Igbo should lick."
He called on the Yoruba to reciprocate the support the Igbo gave to them during the 1993 and 1999 presidential elections, where the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola and President Olusegun Obasanjo respectively were voted for en masse, by voting for him in the April 21 presidential election.
"They (Yoruba) owe a debt they must pay. Because there is nothing satisfying as when one reciprocates another act of kindness. I am calling on my Yoruba brothers that we have done them favour twice. We supported M. K. O. Abiola, he became president.
The sad news was that Abiola died. The good news is that I followed the footsteps of Abiola. The bad news is that he won and never ruled. The good news is that I will win and I will rule. Secondly, we voted for Olusegun Obasanjo. The whole Igbo land voted for him twice. So since we supported them in M. K. O. and OBJ, they now have to support us by voting in OUK," he said.
He also noted that there was nothing good in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), except creating poverty and dribbling the masses for about eight years now.
He stated that it was shameful that eight years of democracy in the country, the World Bank is still seeing Nigeria's economy as very fragile, adding that a situation where petroleum products were sold for N150 per litre, in a country that produces and exports crude oil, was disturbing.
The governor expressed concern that rather than create employment, boost power supply and provide enabling environment for the masses, Obasanjo had crippled the economy, created poverty mentality and above all, generated bad blood in Igboland.
He regretted that the crop of leaders Nigeria has today are the same people, who were in power during his primary school days and which manipulated his grandfather's and father's wealth, adding, "they are equally trying to manipulate my own and my children's wealth again, without achieving anything all these years of manipulations."
He said that if given the mandate to become the president, he would release all the containers of imported goods seized by the Federal Government by June 4, adding that power failure would be a thing of the past before the end of July.
He said that all victims of the Abuja demolition exercise, conducted by FCT Minister, Mallam El-Rufai, against Ndigbo would be paid compensation, pointing out that he would equally rename prison yard correction centers, where the inmates would be sent to school for reformation.
Pledging that his administration would not only provide air and sea ports in Onitsha, but also would provide adequate health care facilities so that people like Yar'Adua or Atiku Abubakar would be treated at home instead of being flown abroad at any slight emergency.
He also pledged to reform the military and the police in such a way that there would be job security, ethics and professionalism.
In his speech, Senator Uche Chukwumerije stated that for almost eight years, Obasanjo had cowed all Igbo indigenes at the corridors of power, except Kalu who broke the jinx.
Chukwumerije, who said he fought against third term plot in partnership with Kalu, therefore, urged all and sundry to vote for Kalu, particularly now that he is the anointed candidate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Also speaking, former Minister of Health, Dr. Tim Menakaya, noted that Kalu's ambition had already been destined to succeed.
Highlights of the occasion included the introduction of Chief Emeka Okafor as the governorship candidate of PPA in Anambra State as well as the singing of solidarity songs for Kalu who was later renamed "Bush of Africa" by his esteemed supporters.
Meanwhile, Kalu, on Wednesday, warned that any attempt by anybody or political party to rig the 2007 general election would be an invitation to anarchy and disintegration of the country.
Speaking at the Government House, Awka, when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Peter Obi, on his way to Onitsha for the flag-off of his campaign in the South East zone, Kalu said Nigerians were interested this time in who governs them and therefore ready to take laws into their hands should anybody try to play with their mandate.
Kalu said that the only way Nigeria would remain one after the April polls was for their choices to be respected, noting that anything short of that would amount to trouble.
He said: "It is left for Nigerian people to decide whether the election will be fair or not. If the electoral law has made it possible that all votes will be counted where we voted and if the electoral law says that all the votes will be counted there, it means nobody can rig the election. The laws are there. If you are getting your results you are calling other people. We are prepared for this election and I want to tell you that those of you who are thinking that they will rig this election; if you rig this election; they will question the unity of this country."