Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged politicians across political divides to refrain from heating up the polity with provocative statements ahead of the February general election.
Kalu advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to see politics as call to service not a do-or-die. The former governor, who stated this yesterday while appearing on a programme on the African Independent Television (AIT), O&M Sunday show, said there was no point for politicians to engage in war of words “if their motive was to serve the populace and not for personal interests.”
Kalu, who predicted a win for President Goodluck Jonathan in the February 14 presidential election, also stated that the opposition will control the National Assembly. He said that President Jonathan has performed remarkably that he deserved re-election. He specifically applauded the Jonathan administration for its respect for the rule of law, massive investment in infrastructure, improved agricultural sector, among several others.
He said: “President Jonathan has done extremely well for Nigeria in all facets of life. The only challenge is that he is not being marketed very well. Talking about the rule of law, this administration encourages due process and if not for that what Mallam Nasir El-rufai was saying here if it were to be in another country, he would have been arrested the moment he is leaving the TV studio. “We could recall in the past when my airline’s licence was revoked basically for expressing dissenting views but in the case of Jonathan he has been fair to everyone.
Let me be honest; nobody talks about the software, they only talk about the hardware. The president has been clear stating what he would do for the nation.
The marketers have not marketed him very well. The major software the president has done is the rule of law but we must note that Rome was not built in a day.” The former governor also took a swipe at Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, saying the former President was wrong to have continued what he described as the unnecessary criticisms against the president. “Obasanjo has never seen anything good in what anyone else does. To me, he is an elder statesman, and I want him to settle with the president. As we speak, they are making peace and I want to see the peace germinate to the success of the PDP. Sometimes, you don’t need to write a book and call yourself a saint and other people idiots; it is not right. You don’t have to come here and insult any elder of the PDP.
When my memo comes out Obasanjo will have a place in it,” he stated. Kalu said he is committed to making Nigeria works by ensuring that peace reigns and that businesses grow.
“That is the focus of my Foundation which has dedicated very much to the campaign for successful election through massive mobilisation for sensitisation campaigns and through sponsorship of paid advertorials to ensure that every nook and cranny of the country take the message of peace,” he said.
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