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FORMER Abia State governor Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has urged all southerners to back President Muhammadu Buhari's bid for a second term in office pointing out that it is the best way to get an Igbo president into Aso Rock.
Over recent weeks, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether President Buhari will ruin again in 2019 but already, several of his aides have launched campaign organisations and urged him to stand. One of President Buhari's predecessors Chief Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to him last week, however, urging him to retire when his tenure ends next year.
In a brutal response however, Dr Kalu, a leading member of President Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC), has dismissed all the criticism levelled at the president, pointing out that he has performed better than Chief Obasanjo did when in office. He faulted former Chief Obasanjo’s letter to President Buhari, alleging that his handling of the economy during his time gave rise to the under-development of the country.
According to Dr Orji, weak governors allowed herdsmen believed to be Fulani to kill citizens in their states, noting that they have all the powers to prevent such killing and also deal ruthlessly with the perpetrators of such tragic incidents. He said it would be unfair to the southeast, south-south and south-west parts of the country not to support the second term bid of President Buhari, given the need to return power to the southern part of the country after the completion of his two terms.
Furthermore, the former governor said as much as he does not agree with the issues raised in Chief Obasanjo’s letter, he would consult with the intelligence and international community on a wide range of issues in June this year. He said it was time President Buhari spoke on security issues in the country because it is threatening the fabric of the socio economic cohesion of Nigeria.
Dr Kalu added: “I don’t support that Fulani herdsmen should be allowed to continue to harass Nigerians but the governors in those states that Fulani herdsmen are killing people are weak. When I was a governor, no Fulani herdsman came to Abia State to harass the people, so the governors are not doing what they are supposed to do because if the governors put their feet on the ground, nobody will kill anyone in their states.
“Every life is very important and every life is sacred, so we must be able to respect one another’s life and moreover, we call on the federal government to find a way to address that issue. The herdsman crises are not to be the benefit of anybody, so President Buhari must stand up and address this issue."
He, however, admitted that President Buhari is slow in taking critical socio-economic and political decisions that could ginger the pace of governance, as currently experienced. However, Dr Kalu said President Buhari has done well in tackling corruption, noting that there was a high level of graft in the 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ruled Nigeria.
He alleged that the PDP plundered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Central Bank of Nigeria at will, insisting that the APC would open the books to show the level of rot it inherited from the party. Dr Kalu stated that he himself would run for president in 2023 when President Buhari's second term ends.