TheCable

The Ekiti state government has rejected the planned peace advocacy visit of Orji Kalu, former governor of Abia.

Kalu is the chairman of the advisory board for the national movement for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He recently embarked on a tour of the south-west to advocate peace, fairness and unity.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Lere Olayinka, spokesman of governor Ayo Fayose, said Ekiti is the most peaceful state, adding that there were no security threats for Kalu to address.

The government asked Kalu to “take his advocacy for peace to other parts of the country where security of lives and properties of Nigerians is under threat”.

It also urged traditional rulers in the state not to welcome Kalu.

“There is no threat to peace and unity of Nigeria from Ekiti state for anyone, including Orji Kalu to address. Therefore, he should not expect to be welcomed to any palace in Ekiti state,” the statement read.

“It is an insult on the collective sensibilities of Ekiti people, whose only benefit from the government of President Buhari is hardship occasioned by the government’s cluelessness for anyone to hide under advocacy for peace to canvass support for the President.”

The statement claimed Kalu was “doing image laundering” for president Buhari in a bid to evade his case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“If he has sold his own conscience to the agenda of selling an already rejected product to Nigerians, we in Ekiti state have not, and we are telling him categorically that such advocacy is not welcome in our state,” the statement read.

“He should rather take his peace and unity advocacy to his own state, where he is already rejected and other states where Nigerians are being killed on daily basis by armed bandits.

“It is also ridiculous that instead of joining Nigerians to tell the president the truth about the state of affairs in the country, Kalu is castigating Nigerians that have summoned courage to speak out against the president through letters and public comments.”