I won’t go back to PDP — Uzor Kalu

Ex Abia Governor Uzor Kalu
A former Abia Governor, Chief Orji Kalu, on Wednesday debunked the rumour that he was planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the gale of defections across the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kalu told newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos that there was no iota of truth in the rumour.
He said those behind the speculation were political detractors from Abia who were afraid of the growing popularity of the APC in the state ahead of the 2019 General Elections.
Kalu said: “There is nothing like that. I am not going back to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). You know I left the PDP since 2006 and I have never been back there.
“I was a member of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) before joining the APC in 2016, because I found out that Nigeria had become a two-party system.
“Honestly, going back to the PDP is not really an option for me. I will rather go to my farm in Igbere and take up farming, instead of going back to the PDP.
“So there is no truth in the rumour. It is just people that are afraid that they will lose Abia with me standing behind the APC that are behind it.’’
He, however, noted that the defectors to the PDP, including Senate President Bukola Saraki, had the right to leave the APC, adding that he wished them well in their sojourn.
According to him, the APC leadership is deeply concerned about the development and is looking into some of the issues raised by the defectors in order to forestall further defections.
“The APC is in trouble right now but we will come out of it. It is always good for people to know that there are problems and knowing that there are problems, we will be able to find solutions to them.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has handled the issue very well. We have not seen him abusing anybody because defection is a thing of choice and we as APC, under the chairmanship of Mr Adams Oshiomhole, are fine-tuning solutions on how to address these issues.’’
The former governor also confirmed that he was planning to run for the Abia North Senatorial Seat under the platform of the APC in 2019, in order to attract more development to the people of the constituency.
“I am going to be a very strong voice in the Senate. I am going to make a lot of difference like I did when I was in the House of Representatives during the President Ibrahim Babangida regime.
He said: “I was the one who sponsored the Bill for dual citizenship which was the only law Babangida signed as president.
“So, apart from my constituency and the Abia people knowing that they have a senator, I am also going to work for the benefit of all Nigerians, especially by ensuring that there is a cordial relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.
Kalu further disclosed that he had instructed his legal team to file an appeal against the recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Lagos which dismissed his `no case submission’ application in the fraud charges preferred against him.
“That is the right thing to do because when things don’t go your way, you should not resort to self-help or throwing of insults.
“All you need to do is to appeal to a higher authority to take another look at your arguments and review the decision of the lower court.
“That is how the Rule of Law operates and my advice to all the levels of governments is that they should always uphold and abide by the rule of law in order to deepen our democracy,’’ he added. (NAN)