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PDP chieftain kicks as Kalu hosts national exco, fuels defection rumour

PDP national leaders in a closed-door meeting with the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu (middle), at his residence on Thursday. Photo: Orji Kalu Media team

AN Abia State chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Isaac Nkole, has cautioned the party against re-admitting the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Uzor Kalu.

This call came on the heels of a visit by a high-powered PDP delegation led by the incoming National Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, at his Aso-Villa, Abuja home.

Nkole alleged that Kalu, “Is in a desperate move to return to the PDP having discovered that his days in the All Progressives Congress, are numbered.”

The PDP chieftain alleged that the Senate Whip has been reaching out to key party stakeholders at both the state and at the national levels, begging them to allow him return to the party.

He, however, said Sen. Kalu’s return to PDP “is not in the best interest of the party.”

Nkole advised the leadership of PDP both in Abia and at the national level to be careful not to allow the senator to return to the party “because his return will destroy PDP”.

Earlier, a delegation of newly elected members of the National Working Committee of the PDP who paid a courtesy call on Kalu, in his Abuja residence within the  of Aso Rock, urged him to make an informed choice regarding the 2023 general election.

Leader of the delegation and National Secretary-elect of the party, Senator Sam Anyanwu, gave the advice after a closed-door meeting with the APC chieftain, on Thursday.

The delegation also commended Kalu for visiting the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who is in the legal custody of the Department of State Services on Monday.

Anyanwu said, “In taking a decision concerning the 2023 election, we want you to look left, right, back and forward and take a wise decision that would end the sufferings of Nigerians.

I  came to your house today with the leaders of my party to pay you homage as the leader of the South-East which you rightly deserve. There is no doubt the fact that you are a critical stakeholder and founding member of the PDP.

“Today you are in APC temporarily. We know by tomorrow; we may find ourselves in the same political party. What is important is about Nigerian’s. As a leader in this country, you should try as much as possible, to remove tears in the eyes of Nigerians.

“We need you to cushion the effects of some wrongdoings of the current administration. We have all paid our dues in this country. I believe that with you, the South East should have a pride of place. I commend you for visiting Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS custody. It is a good move. He is our own and we should never deny him. He is not fighting for his selfish interest but for the interest of all south easterners.

“I, therefore, implore all Igbo leaders within and outside the country to come together and let us ask the president to temper justice with mercy and free Nnamdi Kanu. He is not a criminal. He is not a kidnapper. He is not a bandit and he is never a terrorist

“He was only agitating for his people to have an equal share of the national cake. As brothers, we want to work with you.”

Any shop, location hard drug is sold in our region will be forfeited to govt — South-East governors

News Update

Any shop, location hard drug is sold in our region will be forfeited to govt — South-East governors

THE South-East Governors Forum has resolved that government would henceforth take over all shops and locations where hard drugs are sold in any part of the region. 

Chairman of the forum and governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, disclosed this in a statement he signed after an emergency virtual meeting of the governors on November 30. 

Umahi added that all those promoting trade in illicit drugs, or indulging in consuming them would be prosecuted..

“We resolved to be very committed in our fight against hard drugs in our region, especially the new one called Methamphetamine, locally known in the South-East as Mkpurumiri. 

“We have decided that all shops and locations where any hard drug is sold will be forfeited to the state government and all those promoting the trade or indulging in hard drugs shall be seriously isolated to face the law. 

“Rehabilitation of those misled into hard drugs is also ongoing. We urge community leaders to give secret phone calls through the special numbers offered by our governors on security and hard drug.” 

Umahi also condemned in strong terms the video clip and write-up circulating in some social and print media where two policemen were said to have been killed and their heads cut off by youths who styled themselves as members of the Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN). 

“We have resolved among ourselves to work with security agencies to determine the authenticity of this video/report and if found to be true, the perpetrators would be arrested by all possible means to face the law.”

The governor said: “We are aware of similar videos in the past and which when subjected to forensic review, were found out to have happened outside Nigeria. We assure Nigerians, especially the police community that we will not rest until we have done justice to this matter.”