Former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu has alleged that the insurgency in the North is an attempt at stopping President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 elections.
kalu said this when he with journalists at the People Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat.
“Insurgency is new in Nigeria. It is all politically-motivated and aimed at stopping President Jonathan. The people who do not want Jonathan are sponsoring it.”
On whether the insurgency would lead to the PDP losing the presidential election, the former Abia State governor said: “How can that be when we have people like Peter Odili, myself and other former governors working solidly for the party and the presidency.”
he also urged everyone opposed to the candidacy of Jonathan to give peace a chance for the sake of the nation.
On how democracy has fared so far in Nigeria, he said: “We have more than 15 years of democratic rule, it is so far so good, but there are still rooms for improvement.”
In the mean time, the PDP National Secretary, Wale Oladipo, has said the Adamawa State acting Governor, Alhaji Umaru Fintiri, would not re-contest in 2015 if he emerges as the winner in the October 11 governorship by-election. He said this was the agreement between the aspirants that contested for the party’s ticket and the National leadership of the party.
“Whoever wins now will not insist on contesting in 2015, I can assure you that, because that is our agreement,’’ the party scribe said.
He added that though the agreement was not documented, it was solid, robust, voluntary and concrete with the consent of all party stakeholders the state.
Oladipo added that as secretary of the committee that brokered the agreement, measures had been put in place to ensure that whoever wins the by-election would not contest in 2015.
“And in any case, the primaries for 2015 will take place in about a month’s time,’’ he said.
He said eight aspirants voluntarily withdrew from the race that they would prefer to wait and contest the 2015 elections.
“It will be morally wrong for who ever wins now to contest the 2015 elections.
“And you should know that in PDP, we are family, there is no domineering dictator, here we all discussed and reached an agreement.
“We move out as a team and that is what we are going to do in the state,’’ he said.
Oladipo however, said the party`s appeal panel would look at the petitions of some aspirants on the conduct of the primaries, with a view to addressing them.
“They have a right to file petitions, but the appeal panel would look at it dispassionately and address it as the need arises,’’ he said.
