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2007: Odili moves against Kalu
psaro
yornamue
Senior
Correspondent, Lagos
The Governor of Rivers, Dr. Peter Odili and his Abia State
counterpart, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu,
may already be locked in a battle of supremacy for the soul of the
South-East and South-South political zones of the country following their
ambition to contest for the post of the president in 2007.
This indication emerged during the week as Odili, in
his move to spread his tentacles to the South-East zone of the country for
support, is already encroaching on
the areas said to have been captured by Kalu.,
Kalu, an Igbo, whose ambition dates back to the
pre-2003 election days had begun his presidential campaign in the different
parts of the South-East, thus already enjoying some support in the zone.
But in his current move to get a nationwide support
for his ambition, Odili had begun to spread his tentacles to the South-East,
appealing to some of the supporters of the Abia State governor for support.
One of the major moves said to have been made by the
Rivers State governor is a meeting with some members of the pan-Igbo group,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo for support.
The thrust of his meeting, it was gathered was to
align the group with the South-South Peoples Assembly (SSOPA) to give him the
necessary support to realise his presidential ambition.
Besides his meeting with the group, the governor is
also said to be relying on the fact that he is from the Igbo speaking Ndoni in
Rivers State.
Odili’s marriage to an Mbaise woman in Imo
State is also said to be an added opportunity for him to attract the votes of
the grass roots people in the South-East.
The schemings by Odili on the possibility of joining
the forces between Ohanaze Ndigbo and the SSOPA which was begun recently when
Kalu opened his office in Owerri has started yielding fruits.
Already, there are indications that there is a shift
by Ohanaeze towards Odili.
Recently, the General Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
Col. Joe Achuzia (rtd.)was quoted as saying that Odili stood a chance of
becoming an Igbo canididate for the post of the president.
According to him, nothing stopped Odili who is from
the Igbo speaking Ndoni in Rivers from flying the Igbo’s flag.
Our correspondent gathered that following the moves
by Odili, some loyalists of Kalu had started defecting to the camp of the
Rivers State governor.
Meanwhile, the statement by Achuzia has been causing
ripples in the South-South zone as some of the indigenes are said to be
wondering if Rivers State was truly being led by an Igbo man as alleged by the
Ohanaeze chieftain.
Consequently, a chieftian of the Rivers Democratic
Movement (RDM), Chief Anabs Sara -Igbe had, last month challenged Odili
to declare whether “he is from South-East otherwise the development and
meaning, read out of the Ohanaeze’s position could send the wrong signal
to Rivers people, that this state (RIVERS) is being ruled by an Ibo as opposed
to what we were being made to believe all along.”
This has, however remained unanswered by the
governor.
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