Abia North APC withdraws support for Orji Kalu for promoting brother against party guber candidate
* Pledges support for other APC candidates, adopts Ohuabunwa of PDP
* I’m committed party man – Kalu
By Steve Oko
Abia North All Progressive Congress, APC, Concerned members, have announced the withdrawal of their support for the incumbent Senator Orji Uzor Kalu over alleged anti-party activities.
Wawa News Global reports that the group which said it had over 20,000 members, vowed to punish the Senate Chief Whip who it accused of secretly sponsoring his brother’s governorship ambition against the candidacy of the APC governorship flag bearer.
Addressing a press conference Tuesday in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the group alleged that the former Governor was only after his personal and family interest, hence, its resolve to move against him.
Secretary of the group, Kingsley Okorie who read from a prepared text, expressed fury that instead of campaigning for all APC candidates, “Kalu is asking his constituents to vote for APC only at the presidential and national assembly elections”.
He said that Kalu had also been telling people to vote for his brother at the governorship poll instead of Chief Ikechi Emenike, the APC candidate.
The stakeholders vowed to pay Kalu back in his own coin by voting for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, who they said, ” is a better candidate”.
They, however, pledged support for all other APC candidates in the 2023 elections but vowed to work against Kalu, who they said “is self-seeking”.
Their words:”We have henceforth, withdrawn our support for Senator Orji Uzor Kalu for the following reasons: supporting his younger brother’s governorship ambition against the APC candidate; not showing interest in Abia APC activities; championing causes that have no bearing on Abia North”.
They accused Kalu of ” being the brain behind every crisis” rocking the APC in Abia, claiming that his intention is to take advantage of any division in the party to promote his brother’s governorship project.
“We challenge him to show proof of the last time he attended any APC event in Abia yet he is occupying a high position in the Senate with the platform of the party. Where then is his love or care for the party?”
The group further alleged that Kalu was out to kill and bury APC in Abia just to actualise his selfish political interest
“He is bent on destroying APC in Abia. He is busy telling his constituents not to vote for APC during the governorship election. He wants them to vote APC only in the presidential and national assembly elections but APP in the governorship poll. This is the height of selfishness.”
They also expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of representation by Kalu, lamenting that since his ascendance to the red chamber, Abia North has rather become a comic.
Arguing that time has come for Abia North to send its first eleven to the Senate, the concerned Abia North APC members vowed to help actualise the emergence of Senator Ohuabunwa.
“We are also disappointed that since Kalu went to the Senate, Abia North has not been well represented at the upper legislative chamber. Our voice is rarely heard, and when it is heard it will be a comic relief.
“He has not shown enough interest in championing the cause of Abia North. Instead, he is busy pursuing shadows and championing other causes that will only safeguard his political interest.
“Consequent upon the above and other anti-party activities of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, we have decided to withdraw our support for him. This decision was reached after he failed to repent of his bad ways.
“We, hereby, state our resolve to work against his second term bid. We will not allow him to be using our collective mandate to ruin our future. Enough is enough.
“We feel that time has also come for a more patriotic person who truly loves Abia North to represent the zone in the Senate. Abia North cannot afford to be represented again by an individual who is always seeking his own selfish interest at the detriment of the entire zone’s interest.
“Haven looked at the antecedents of all the senatorial candidates for Abia North in all the political parties, we have decided to support Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“Today, we adopt and declare our total support for Senator Ohuabunwa. He needs to return to the Senate to give Abia North a better representation.”
Meanwhile, when contacted Senator Kalu denied working against APC.
The former Governor who spoke through the Spokesman of his Campaign Organization, Sunny Idika, said he was fully committed towards the victory of APC in 2023.
” He is a committed party man, and he is working for the victory of the party. If there is any crisis in the party, he has made efforts and he is still making efforts to get them resolved”.
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