ABUJA— CHAIRMAN of Forum of South-East Traditional Rulers, Eze Dr. Ezo Ukandu (Enyi-na-Obiangwu of Imenyi Kingdom) who played a leading role in the resolution of the face-off between Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, said yesterday in Abuja that the intervention was in the interest of peace in the polity. Eze Ukandu, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja after leading a delegation of eleven traditional rulers on a thank-you visit to Chief Anenih at his Asokoro private residence, said that, having succeeded in making peace between Chief Anenih and Governor Kalu, the traditional rulers forum would do everything within its powers to make sure that the on-going impeachment proceeding against Abia Deputy Governor, Dr. Chima Nwafor, who was central to the resolved face-off, is withdrawn.
He said that “traditional rulers from the Southeast geo-political zone, the Oba of Benin and the Governor of Edo State played a very important role in the resolution of the crisis and we are happy about it; and the elder statesman (Chief Anenih) was also very, very helpful as well as the Governor of Abia State.
“Both of them needed peace; they were happy and we were able to make peace for them. This is because it would go a long way in moving this nation forward and that is why we feel that as traditional rulers, our natural job is to make peace in the country and we will continue to traverse all the areas in the country to make sure that Nigeria is peaceful”.
Eze Ukandu said that the terms of the settlement were acceptable to the parties, pointing out, “You know that Chief Anenih is an elder statesman; Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu apologized to him and he accepted the apology because it was misinformation that caused the whole problem, and when we found out that this would not augur well for the nation, we intervened and Orji Kalu apologized and Chief Anenih withdrew the case from court.
“We are on official duty in Abuja and we felt that we should come and thank the elder statesman on how he respected the traditional rulers”. Asked if the conditions of peace have been fully met by the duo, he said, “all the conditions have been fulfilled and everybody is happy”.
He said the closed-door meeting with Chief Anenih yesterday during which they thanked him for embracing pace by accepting Governor Kalu’s apology went very fine, stressing “the meeting was just to thank him for how he withdrew the case from court”.
On the lingering process to impeach the Deputy Governor, Dr. Nwafor, who reported the alleged death threat by Chief Anenih to Governor Kalu, consequent upon which the latter raised a public alarm, Eze Ukandu said, “Governor Kalu has appealed to the lawmakers to withdraw the impeachment proceeding and every other well meaning person is prepared to wade into the matter to make sure that the impeachment proceeding is withdrawn. “We are traditional rulers; we are not politicians and what we want is peace; if there is anything we can do to make sure that the impeachment proceeding is withdrawn, we will do it”.
Speaking on the meeting, Chief Anenih stated that the traditional rulers came to thank him for embracing peace and withdrawing the suit he filed against Governor Kalu from court. He said that he told them that they would need to do a lot of work in the State, particularly in respect of the relationship between the Governor and his Deputy.
Meanwhile, pioneer Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Chief Tony Ukasanya, has accused Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Kalu of masterminding the on-going plot to impeach his Deputy, Dr. Nwafor, just as he advised members of the State House of Assembly to back down on the plot in the interest of peace, stability and progress of the State. Ukasanya said in a statement in Abuja that while it was the right of the State House of Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Governor or the Deputy Governor as the case may be, the current bid, he alleged, was at the instance of Kalu.
