Kalu: Quirky defector, or spokesperson plenipotentiary

If politics were to be a football tournament, former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, could be said to have dominated the centre circle in the past one year. When he indicated interest in joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he tested the grounded by sending his mother and brother as forerunners.
 
Although it could not readily be ascertained whether the idea of sending his family members first was a question of political style or merely done to convince the APC leadership that he was on his way, the move must have been dictated by the need to await the outcome of his senatorial election petition pending then that the tribunal.
 
But, no sooner had the Appeal Court in Owerri, the final point of litigation on National Assembly election cases ruled on the matter, than Kalu stormed the national headquarters of APC at 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse II, to announce his ultimate political switchover from the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Uphill Test
THE November 18, Anambra governorship poll has come and gone. It did not seem to have gone the way Kalu wanted. Although the former Abia governor told The Guardian that he would not support the APC governorship candidate in that election to challenge the outcome in the Election Petition Tribunal, he owned up that Anambra people had spoken and certified that the incumbent was delivering on his mandate.

Most politicians in Southeast acknowledge that Kalu is a clever politician. Perhaps, ability to make the best out of a very bad situation or transform defeat to a positive stepping-stone could be what is defining his staying power in politics.

It is possible also that were he born in the times of Greek mythology, the businessman politician could have beat Janus at the game of saying the same things to mean different things.

Blessed with such rare malaise of double speak, Kalu has been putting that facility into great use to expand the stature of APC in the Southeast, and more in the eyes of the party leadership.

Kalu captured the imagination of Igbo youth when he delivered what he styled a wakeup call on the people for political participation and unity. However, with his present vocation as Buhari’s spokesman plenipotentiary, it is not easy to define Kalu’s audience anymore.

What compounds the situation is that having become a quirky political defector, who moved from Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) back to PPA and then to APC, it is obvious that Kalu is excited by winning team mentality. Because, being neither a caucus member nor appointee, he has by his incessant vituperations cast himself in the mould of noncommissioned spokesman to President Muhammadu Buahri.

The interesting aspect of Kalu’s new pastime is that most of the time his messages end up on the wrong side of the intended purpose. For instance, when President Buhari’s prolonged medical vacation became a source of national trepidation and apprehension, Kalu told journalists on June 4 that the President would be back to the country before June 11.

Although he sounded more like some Nigeria pop prophets, most people, especially the ubiquitous citizens on the cybersphere, wanted to know who sent the former Abia governor or whether he actually met with Baba Buhari without the usual photo evidence.

Not done with that national gaffe, Kalu was in town again recently when he dabbled into the high octave issue of 2019 Presidential election. Nigerians did not ask him, but Kalu declared that Buhari does not need automatic ticket, that being a man of due process and deep democratic credentials, the President would like to queue alongside other challengers before delegates for the APC Presidential ticket.

From that projection, Kalu was on hand again when he disclosed as if looking through his crystal ball that PDP will not come back to power again. All the things that come out of the mouth of the Lord of Camp Neya, could make Barkin Zuwo blush in the grave.

Yet, in his restless and zealous marketing of Buhari, Kalu is convinced that APC will garner more than 70 percent of votes to be cast in the Southeast. It is hard to understand why the former Abia governor has not bothered to guestimate the percentage of farms destroyed by herdsmen in Southeast or contrast it with the percentage of votes lost in Anambra governorship poll.

It is not known how the official spokespersons of President Buhari enjoy the comradely assistance from Orji Uzor Kalu, but the fact remains that the Igbo leader has brought a rich contrast to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

Unfortunately, when Imo Statue Governor, Rochas Okorocha, organised APC caucus meeting to gift former President of Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani, with the leadership of the zone, Kalu for inexplicable reasons, was not in attendance.

However, whatever the controversial leadership anointment achieved for APC in Southeast, when the story of the party in the zone would be told, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, would have a favourable mention as the spokesperson plenipotentiary for President Buhari.