Defection: Kalu Seeking Attention After Losing Party Structure In Abia– APC

The Abia State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has said that Senate Chief Whip, Orji Kalu’s alleged plan to return to the People’s Democratic Party is a ploy to seek the attention of the ruling national headquarters of the APC after losing the party structure in Abia North.

According to the party, Kalu’s recent political posturing was aimed at attracting sympathy from the party’s hierarchy and not to defect to the opposition PDP.

Following a visit to the former governor of Abia State by the APC National Leader and frontline aspirant for the party’s presidential ticket, Mr Bola Tinubu, urging the former not to defect and subsequent visit of a team of PDP executives, it was reported that Kalu had made overtures to return to the PDP.

THE WHISTLER gathered that Kalu was visited by Tinubu to stop his defection, saying the Senate Chief Whip was important to his political ambition.

While Kalu has not quelled the rumour and the reported overtures to return to the PDP, the
Abia State APC has said such reported defection bid was false as he cannot leave the party that has guaranteed his Senatorial ambition.

In a statement sent to our correspondent, the chapter’s Publicity Secretary, Hon Okey Ezeala, said “We in the Abia State family of our great party, APC, view this rather questionable development with suspicion knowing the antecedents of the man at the centre of the rather unscripted drama.

“To the best of our knowledge, the Senator representing Abia North on our party platform is going nowhere. This is authoritative.

According to Ezeala: ”What is playing out is that Kalu and his supporters are finding it very difficult to swallow the humble pie, and accept the fact that they have lost out in the 2021 congress of our great party.

“Their expectation that the state party structure will fall into their hands has become a bridge too far. They have refused to display the spirit of sportsmanship and queue behind the winners. The Abia North Senator is simply suffering from excess hubris

“What we want the general public to know is that Senator Kalu is merely flying a kite, perhaps to attract the attention of the national leadership of our party to beg him not to leave.

“And if that eventually works to his plan, his primary objective would be to extract some concessions. Unfortunately for him, no winner in congress is ready to concede his position.

”Every Abian knows that Kalu lacks the courage to pursue his political ambition outside the ruling party. On the two previous occasions, he tried it, he failed woefully until he eventually found refuge in APC.

”We in Abia APC are calling on our national leadership to call the bluff of Senator Kalu. The risk of quitting the ruling party is too great for him to take. Not only that, the PDP in Abia would not even take him back.

“He tried it before and his efforts hit the rocks as every available door was firmly shut against him. The truth, therefore, is that Kalu has no intention to go anywhere because he has nowhere else to go.”