A founding chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne has asked former governor of the state and member of the party, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, to stop acting as a spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also cautioned him against comments that could portray the APC as incapable of keeping to its words.
Ikonne lamented that the former governor had boldly informed Nigerians that ailing Buhari would return to the country before June 12, a declaration that failed.
Okonne said, “Last time, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu told Nigerians that President Buhari would return soon and he is not the spokesman of the President.
“Till now, the President is yet to return. He should keep quiet and learn to live like an elder statesman, not trying to take the job of the president’s spokesmen.”
Okonne, a former governorship aspirant under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, was speaking with journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, where he said 95 per cent of the people of Abia State were not happy with the way Kalu governed Abia for eight years.
He added, “I plead with him not to scare people away from joining the party because we need a strong party in the state.
“The real voters are the masses and if they are scared that the deception we witnessed in the past would also be associated with the APC in the state, then they will not come in.”
He further pleaded with Kalu not to scare members of the party in Abia “with his style of leadership because we need a strong APC in Abia State.
“If Abia is backward, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu laid the foundation and has taken Abia 16 years backwards. He laid a very wrong foundation for Abia state and as such, he should not be making statements that are false.
“My advice to him will be to keep quiet, be in a sober mood, go in for retreat, and try as much as he can to build a path of peace. He should embark on a mission to reconcile everybody. Let him make peace with his enemies so that we can attract more people to the party.”
