Furious Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, said Friday that he would no longer intervene to save his embattled deputy, Dr. Chima Nwafor, now facing impeachment because of alleged wrongly accusation credited to the deputy governor that he (Kalu) was fueling the process.
Speaking with journalists on arrival from an overseas tour, Kalu said that he would henceforth adopt a neutral posture on the issue since his earlier intervention was not appreciated.
His words: “As from today, I am going to wash my hands off the impeachment process against him. I am not going to stand for or against the move again. I am now a neutral man and nobody can stop me from doing that. Not even the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can dictate to me what to do. As long as what I am doing is in line with the due process of law, no one can tell me what to do.
“If I was trying to save the deputy governor and he goes about saying another thing, that is his business. I am not going to talk about that issue again”.
Going down memory lane, Kalu recalled his previous intervention in similar matters involving the Abia State House of Assembly and the State Chief Judge, as well as the case involving the House and the State Council of traditional rulers, adding that on these occasions, the House ignored him. According to him, for anyone to insinuate that he is behind this matter is a surprise, insisting that his conscience is clear.
Kalu also accused some politicians of trying to destabilise the state because of what he described as “their interests in the 2007 governorship race”, boasting that nothing would make such politicians succeed except the people decide otherwise.
“Even if the NWC of PDP gives those of them using this problem to eye the governorship ticket, they cannot win in Abia State”, he said, vowing that candidates from other parties may emerge to become governor in 2007.
He dismissed the fears of imposition of a state of emergency in the State, warning that he also had the capacity to make trouble more than those causing trouble in the State.
The governor condemned the suspension clamped on the State PDP chairman, Chief Uzodinma Okpara by the national leadership, describing the action as unnecessary because there is nothing at stake and he, being a second term governor, also has nothing at stake.
