Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has said that 2015 cannot be the turn of Igbos when President Goodluck Jonathan is running for re-election.
The business magnate spoke about the political climate in Abia and nationally, during an interview with Channels Television.
He said his return to Peoples Democratic Party did not necessarily mean he would be contesting for the Presidency.
Kalu said, “I am back in my party, must I run for any position? My mission is to be in the party and I’m in the party. I believe in rotational presidency. The Igbo cannot be seeking the presidency now that President Goodluck Jonathan is running. It is not our turn. Jonathan is the President, every President has gone for eight years. It would have been our turn if he didn’t run.
“Our party, the PDP has used rotational presidency to stabilise the country and it cannot be now that it is the turn of the Igbo that you say there should be rotational presidency. After Jonathan we will discuss, the people of the North and the people of the South within the same party to determine the way forward.”
On current Abia Governor Theodore Orji and their frosty relationship, Kalu said he informed Orji that he was not capable of being governor 18 months into his tenure.
He said, “The time I made that decision (to make Orji governor) it was a right decision. Eighteen months after he became governor, I called him privately and told him ‘look, you can no longer do this job.’ If the governor is an honest, man he will tell you this is true.
“The problem started when they (Abia government) were quarrelling with Oyema Ugochukwu (former Niger Delta Development Commission boss) and co. They brought a paper to me that he borrowed over N11bn. I called his commissioner for finance and he confirmed to me that they borrowed from multiple banks.
“I asked him what they were doing with the money but he didn’t give me any explanation. I reminded him that as commissioner for finance he worked with me for eight years and the only money I borrowed was N2bn and I paid back before I left. I didn’t borrow money to run Abia; the $680m that our state owed during the old regime; joint regime of Imo and Abia, was deducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo.”
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