Alex Enumah in Abuja
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has disclosed that the leadership of the party is currently engaged in discussions with the APC splinter group as well as all aggrieved members of the party to ensure that the APC is not consumed by the current crisis rocking the party.
Kalu described the current situation as a family matter that would be brought under control, adding that the task which is paramount to members of the APC is the return of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
He made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen at a farewell dinner he held in honour of the Czech Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Pavel Mikes, Saturday night in Abuja.
In attendance were a cross section of members of the diplomatic corps; chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole; immediate past chairman, John Oyegun; Chairman of the rAPC, Buba Galadima; Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; and other chieftains of APC.
“We have through our new chairman engage most of them to get them back. The kind of jubilation, what you people want to have is not what we have at the moment, because we will control it. It is a family matter, in every family you quarrel.
“Tinubu is busy, he is talking, everybody is busy, in all arms of the APC we are busy talking to everybody as much as we can. Ali Modu sheriff and everybody you can think about, we are busy talking as much as we can, so it is a family matter”, he said.
Kalu lamented that rather than leaders concentrating on how to bring the dividends of democracy to Nigerians they are busy fighting one another, adding that Nigeria as a nation ought to have grown past this stage.
While he condemned the claim in some quarters that President Buhari condones the activities of killer herdsmen, particularly in the middle belt, the former governor called on state governors to do more and support the federal government’s efforts in tackling the situation.
“Nobody in Nigeria today is asking how this country will progress, they are just busy fighting each other which is not the process of democracy. Democracy cares about the people, it talks about what can you do for the people, it cares about the extent of benefits of democratic process that people would get.
“We should talk about the people, 190 million Nigerians, 200 million Nigerians that have no food, no good education no good health, how to eradicate the Almajiris, these are commitment leaders should give.
“Leaders should stop backbiting about the killings and all the rest of it. Killing is not a good process, no president would want to see his people dying”, he said, adding that, “President Buhari has taken a new step, he was in Plateau, in Benue the other day he is committed to make sure that these killings stop.”
He however admitted that the action of the splinter group, whose chairman, Buba Galadima, was present at the occasion, was capable of causing a little panic in the party.
The former governor, who noted that the APC was on track, said, “President Buhari has done very well in most of the things”, adding that “we would go back to the drawing board and put economic prosperity, that is where we are lacking”.
