Governor of Abia, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, on Wednesday, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), with prayer that God would use him to add value to the party.<\/p>\n
Kalu was received at the APC National Headquarters, Abuja, by the party\u2019s National Chairman, Chief John Odige-Oyegun and members of the National Working Committee (NWC.<\/p>\n
He said that his defection to the APC was made possible by the persistence of some of the party\u2019s chieftains who had been wooing him for some times.<\/p>\n
According to him, “I was invited to dinner over 20 times by some of the party`s chieftains, including the national chairman, while the wooing lasted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had been on by neck, asking that I must come over to APC and the national chairman always buys me red wine.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy red wine is still packed in his house and I visit his place regularly to chat because we attend the same church\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
Kalu, however, said that it was a privilege to be accepted into the party, adding that he would abide by its laws while remaining a good party man.<\/p>\n
He thanked the APC national chairman and other party chieftains for the confidence they reposed in him and for making him join the party.<\/p>\n
He assured that states being governed by opposition parties in the South-East and other parts of the country presently would be delivered to the APC in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod will help us to achieve this, but the most important thing is the ability to consult, discuss and move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody is an embodiment of knowledge; knowledge is in the hands of God and He will always give us knowledge\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
He prayed that the APC continued to wax stronger and for its leaders continued support for President Mohammed Buhari in his quest to develop the country and fight corruption.<\/p>\n
Kalu expressed optimism that though the country was going through rough times, good policy formulation would help to lessen the suffering of the people.<\/p>\n
He expressed optimism that the APC would leave beyond 2019 contrary to the predictions of some Nigerians.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody can say that APC cannot go beyond 2019; Nigerians should change this behaviour that after every four years when there is presidential election, people will start saying they want to change party.<\/p>\n
\u201cAPC has come to stay in my opinion and in the opinion of other people and the international community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf APC is going and its members that welcomed me here today are going, I will go with them,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
He, however, said that he would not contest any position, but added that he would accept any role the party may find him worthy of playing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you are a party man and you are given a mandate to do anything, you will do it, but for me, I am an entrepreneur and I will like to go back to my business\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
Receiving him, Odigie-Oyegun, described the politician as a positive asset not only to the South-East, but to APC and Nigeria, who could be used to resolve the country`s challenges.<\/p>\n
He explained that the party`s chieftains took time to woo Kalu to the party because of his attributes of resilience and commitment over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the attachment of the South-East before now, it was also necessary to go out for leaders who can contribute positively, who people listen to, and you fall into that category.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour coming and timing is very significant, but I must say that you have a lot of work to do to consolidate our party in the East,\u2019\u2019 Odigie-Oyegun said.<\/p>\n
He said that the APC would depend on Kalu to win not only states in the South-East but the South-South in 2019.<\/p>\n
He assured the former Abia governor, who defected from the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), that he would be given his rightful place in the APC.<\/p>\n
He added that though the country was going through difficulties that was not created by the APC-led government, the party was determined to address it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Governor of Abia, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, on Wednesday, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), with prayer that God would use him to add value to the party. Kalu…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n