Wednesday, 29 July 2020

Abia group alerts Uzor Kalu on ‘double faced friends’




By Madu Ezenoha, Enugu

The Abia North Stakeholders Assembly (ANSA), a sociopolitical pressure group has pleaded with Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu to beware of deceitful politicians who are presently struggling to ingratiate themselves with him, saying some may be habouring ulterior motives.

The group specifically took exceptions to recent media interview credited to former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr. Kalu Umeh where he allegedly made a volte-face recognizing the former Abia Governor, Sen Kalu, as the political "patriarch" of the state. 

In a statement released to journalists in Enugu on Tuesday, President General of ANSA, Chief Goodluck Ibem and the publicity secretary, Hon. Sunday Chukwu wondered how Umeh, who recently lambasted the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji for calling on Sen. Kalu to come and take his position as a political leader in the state, could now make a volt-face.

ANSA said that having attacked the speaker for making such call and even recommending that the speaker be sanctioned, it beggars belief that the same person will turn around and describe Sen. Kalu as "Patriarch" of Abia politics.

"Senator Kalu should be wary of turncoat, deserter and bandwagoners like Kalu Umeh who comes in sheep clothing. 

"If he has this kind of opinion against those with whom he sat over affairs of the state at different capacities over a decade then he is capable of anything else," the group said. 

ANSA insists that coveting Sen. Orji Kalu could well be a gambit by people like Umeh and that the Senate Chief Whip should be aware of that.

"It has come to our attention that the erstwhile Attorney General of Abia state, Barr. Kalu Umeh nurses the intention to contest for Abia state governorship seat come 2023 for which he has suddenly made a volte-face recognizing Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia, as the political "patriarch" of the state. 

"What is however ironic in all this is that throughout the time (9 years) he was state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, he never acknowledged Orji as a patriarch."

The group claimed that Umeh does not stand any chance of becoming a governor and should not be entrusted with any leadership position, even a councillorship position.

The group further dismissed the claim by the former Attorney General that he was an "introvert" which was why he was not vocal in defending Sen. Kalu during the days of political travail.

"If our "introvert" is a man of integrity as he parades himself why did he not join the Orji Kalu political divide? ...Today he is no longer in speaking terms with his former principal - Theodore Orji - and has discovered a better use for his tongue; such a sad tale."

 The group commended Abia Speaker, Chinedum Orji for his visit to Sen. Kalu saying that a visit of one political actor to another was not in any sense wrong “as politics was not a Machiavellian affair.” 

"Kalu Umeh has been in the vanguard of those calling out the speaker for such a visit. His grouse is that it was anti-party and lack of respect for Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, then ailing (thank God he has recovered) governor of Abia state. If it was for addressing Orji Kalu as a leader in Abia and urging him to come take his rightful position that Umeh Kalu harangues the speaker, what then does he understand by the word "patriarch" as and why does he accord same on Orji Kalu on the said interview?

"What Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji said to him was that, as a former Governor and a leader in Abia he should come home to assume his position as one of the leaders in Abia to move the state forward.

“If the speaker asked him as insinuated to come and take over as authentic leader, where does the speakers’s father fall in?

“Is he retiring his own father? No one can deny that senator Orji Kalu is a leader in Abia. But for anyone to politicize Mr Speaker’s words to suit themselves or score cheap political point is cowardly. And he has no apologies to give”.

No comments:

Post a Comment