TheCable

Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state, says Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of the state, laid a “wrong foundation that may have taken the state backwards by 16 years.

Kalu was governor between 1999 and 2007.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday, Ikonne who was a governorship candidate on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said 95 percent of the people of Abia are not happy with the way Kalu governed Abia for eight years.

He accused the former governor of using his “style of leadership” to scare members of the party in Abia.

“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 as such, he should not be making statements that are false,” he said.

“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.

“Ninenty-five percent of Abians are not happy with the way he governed Abia state and the foundation he laid in the state. I witnessed a situation where elders knelt down for Kalu to do the right things in Abia, yet he didn’t do them. He should not scare people away of APC with his style of leadership because we need a strong APC in Abia state.

“It’s unfortunate that the former governor of Abia state, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu is speaking when he is not asked to speak. He should give Abians the true account of how he governed Abia for eight years. What we need in Abia is not confusion, distractions or scare people away from the party. We need men and women of integrity that would help us build the party.”