Nigeria Content Online

A faction of the Progressive Peoples
Alliance (PPA) said, on Thursday, that former Abia State governor, Orji
Uzor Kalu, will not be given the ticket of the party to contest the
presidential election.

Mr. Kalu had recently declared his intention to vie for the presidency.

The deputy national chairman of PPA,
Benjamin Oburota, said in Abuja that Mr. Kalu has since ceased being a
member of the party. He said that the former governor led some members
of the party to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party some months
ago.

“Is it possible for a non-member of a
political party to fly its presidential flag?” he asked, adding that
Mr. Kalu had long severed his ties with PPA. Mr. Oburota alleged that
the former governor thrived in dictatorship and under-hand deals, and
that the party no longer accommodates him.

He blamed the former governor’s
brazenness in the political scene on the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission(EFCC) and the judicial system which, he said, are slow in
prosecuting him.

“This has created room for Kalu to roam the streets rather than cool his heels in prison,” he said.

Dispute over membership

Referring to the recent invasion of
Thisday newspaper premises by Mr. Kalu, accompanied by court bailiffs
and policemen, Mr. Oburota said that the act further exposed the
desperation of the former governor in seeking to re-establish his
relevance.

But the chairman of the other faction
led by Larry Esin, dismissed Mr. Oburota’s assertion, saying Mr. Kalu
has the right under the country’s constitution to contest the
presidency.

According to Mr. Esin, the leader of
the other faction, Lisu Akerele, is no longer a member of the PPA,
having resigned from the party last year.

He added that Mr. Oburota is neither the chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) nor the chief law officer of the
federation to interprete the constitution and the electoral law.